Of wishes cast on shooting stars
by Makhaira
Summary: Their lives had ended 10 years ago. The Gods offer them a second chance, but at a price. After all they've been through, was it really worth it?
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own PJO and HOO they belong to Rick Riordan.**

 **This my first time writing a fanfic, so bare with me. This chapter is short, the chapters should get longer the more I write, hope you all enjoy**

Chapter 1: Percy

 _We were just kids, not heroes. If anyone deserved a happy ending, it was us. But, sometimes, no matter how much you wish it, no matter how much you want it, you don't get a happy ending._

Percy watched the steady rhythum of the lake. It was therapeutic in a way. The morning fog drifted above the surface of the water, and rays of sun were visable through the trees. The light shone on the grass in such a way, making it rainbow colours. Silver and gold flowers popped up around Percy, swaying the wind. Paradise. It really was beautiful in Elysium.

Percy looked at the three tiny islands in the distance, the Isles of the Blest. It was rare to go there, since you have to be reborn three times, and all three times achived Elysium. He wondered if he would have gone to the Isles of the blest. The three islands looked so small, definitely the smallest place in the underworld. How many people lived there? Almost every morning he came out here, but never saw anyone on the islands. He knew they were there, sometimes he heard people chatting in languages he couldn't understand.

"Hey." Annabeth sat down beside him, wrapping herself in a sweater.

"Hey." Replied Percy. He pulled her closer, cuddling as they watched the sunrise. Looking at Annabeth, he immediately knew that he would never have been able to choose rebirth. In Elysium they didn't get the future Percy wanted for them, but Elysium was much better then some of the alternatives.

"Do you want to go inside? You can make us blue pancakes." Annabeth's voice was husky from just waking up. Her hair was loose and turned a beautiful golden colour in the sun, her tan skin seemed to glow. The warm light made her grey eyes silver.

"Alright." Him and Annabeth liked to cook together, it always became a competition that resulted in pancakes on the ceiling.

Elysium was amazing in many ways, it had this everlasting happy aura. For 10 years now Percy hasn't has one nightmare, he remembered how anxious he was on the quest to kill Gaea, always thinking about what if's. Now he was calm and happy. When he first arrived in Elysium he felt guilty, since Hazel and Frank were dead and in Elysium with him. Slowly more of his friends started to appear, Jason, Nico, Will, Reyna, Piper, Leo, and Annabeth. He was angry at the fates, after eveything they have been through, they should have gotten happy life. He thought maybe some of his friends would survive, they deserved it. He knew the quest wouldn't go without any casualties, but this didn't need to happen. Now he was much more accepting, but it still hurt to think about how he and Annabeth wouldn't grow old together, or have kids.

They were meeting with their friends today for lunch. They always met at least once a week. Sometimes they would see Silena and Beckendorf, Luke, and Ethan. Every time Percy saw them it was very awkward. Luke tried to apologize for the many times he'd tried to kill Percy, they were mutual friends. Ethan would mostly keep to himself.

"Percy! Annabeth! Over here!" Percy could reconize Piper's voice calling them over. He expected to see her smiling, leaning on Jason, sitting by the lake on a picnic table. Instead she looked grim and was listening to Hazel and Nico speak. Everyone was already there, they also looked worried.

"Is everything alright?" Asked Annabeth.

"No. This morning, Pluto visited Nico and I and told us about a problem they're having in the underworld that could affect us," Hazel leaned forward and laced her fingers together. "Apparently someone is helping souls escape from the Fields of Punishment and the Fields of Asphodel, and bringing them back to life."

Annabeth's hands gripped the table. "How is that possible? The Fields of Punishment are meant to torture souls for eternity, they're not meant to be escapable."

"Someone powerful made a break inbetween the mortal world and the underworld. Hades thinks they could be buliding some sort of army, which isn't good. The souls in the Fields of Punishment are evil, they are mostly murders and all did terrible things. It's not good that they're alive right now." Stated Nico. Nico and Will were holding hands, they had started dating in Elysium.

 _It's funny how it takes death to bring some people together._

"How could it affect us?" Jason knitted his eyebrows together, making him look like a confused puppy.

"If somone is powerful enough to rip a hole so souls can climb through it into the mortal world, then that means we could crawl through. They could try and attack Elysium, but I think Elysium is well protected. It could affect us because a whole bunch of murderers and evil masterminds are running around in the mortal world, with a powerful enemy that can bring back the dead. Camp Half Blood and Camp Jupiter could be threatened and if dead keep coming back, then that means they're unkillable." Whispered Hazel.

"But we're all dead. What can we do about it?" Leo tapped his fingers against his toolbelt, he looked worried.

Nico and Hazel exchanged looks. "Pluto says a lot of other souls are escaping, and Pluto can't close it. He says it's dark and ancient magic, he needs time. The Gods want us to help, they want us to come back and go on a quest." Hazel sighed.

"Wait? Why us? There's lots of good warriors who are actually alive!" Reyna's black eyes were fierce and her fists were clenched.

Piper scowled. "That's not fair. They can't just drag us back after we died and expect us to fight for them."

"If we do go back, after the quest, would we go back to Elysium? Would the gods let us live?" Leo asked. Percy remebered how Leo left Calypso when he died. The only trouble with Elysium was that they didn't know what was happening in the mortal world. For all Leo knew, Calypso could have escaped from Ogygia. But what if Percy could get a second chance? He could see his mom again, he could have the future he's always wanted...

"I don't know. I think the gods would want us to go back to Elysium, but if we do save the world again maybe they'll consider giving us a fresh start. They will be breaking many rules doing so, and Jupiter is strict-"

"Didn't he break that huge pact they made to not have kids?" Interrupted Leo.

"Yeah he did. Goes to show how much of a hypocrite he is." Percy smirked, Annabeth shook her head in exasperation.

"But there's a chance?" Will's eyes lighted up with a hopeful gleam. "If there's a chance of a new life then I want to take it."

"Would it be worth it? This quest could just result in us dieing again." Reyna sighed. "I don't want to be the gods puppets."

"How about we sleep on it. We should talk in the morning." Suggested Annabeth.

"I don't think we should split up. Your all important to me. If we split up, we might never see eachother again." Piper folded her hands on the table. Everyone seemed to meet a silent agreement. They were staying together, no matter what.

 **I hope you liked it! I'll be posting weekly but since school it starting soon the updates could be a bit late**.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Annabeth

"What should we do?" Percy laced his fingers with Annabeth's, they were sitting in their bed, thinking about today's events. Annabeth looked at his face, his sea green eyes looked into hers.

"I think we should go back, we could live again Percy."

"I could see my mom..." Percy had this wistful look on his face, as if he was dreaming about the most beautiful thing. They died when they were only seventeen, they didn't go to college, or get married, or have children, they really didn't get to appreciate eachother when they were living. There was always something going on, some powerful being who wanted them dead. With their lives being threatened every day, they never made the most of life. Maybe this time they could be actually happy.

Percy smiled and kissed her. His warm lips met hers, and she laughed into his mouth.

"Love you, Percy." She held his face in her hands, stroking her thumb over his smooth skin.

"I love you too" He looked deep in thought. "It's weird to think that we might be alive tomorrow. After 10 years, how much do you think everything that has changed?"

"I don't know Percy. It might be not as different as you think."

"Flying cars?"

Annabeth laughed "you never know."

 _Tap tap tap_

Annabeth's fingers drummed against the table as she waited for the rest of the demigods to arrive. _Tap tap tap._ What was taking them so long? She was impatient. Percy watched her, raising his eyebrows. Annabeth realised she probably looked vivid, and her scary eyes proabably looked more terrifying.

"I just wish they would hurry up." Just then Jason and Piper appeared at the crest of the hill. Annabeth could barely contain herself. Why were they walking so _slow_? "So? What did you decide?"

Piper raised her chin in the air. "We want to go. But if they gods don't give us a second chance after this then I swear to gods that-"

"Nows not the time to be offending the gods." Nico appeared behind Jason, with Will. Nico seemed to appear out of thin air, and caused everyone to jump. "I don't like the idea of this quest, but Will and I think it's worth it in the long run."

"Alright, Percy and I are coming too." Annabeth felt a nervous excitement bloom inside of her. 6 people out of 10 were going on the quest, the majority. She knew Leo would go, for Calypso. She didn't see why Hazel and Frank wouldn't. She didn't know about Reyna. She seemed hesitant about the idea of helping the gods again, when last time it caused their death. Would Silena and Beckendorf go? Or maybe more of their friends? She wasn't sure if the gods would allow it.

"I'm going! Going on a quest with you idiots was a fun experience, minus dieing. Plus I need to see Calypso, I'm not leaving her, although I am 10 years late." Leo plopped down at the table, his grin making him look mischievous.

Hazel and Frank were making their way towards them, Frank was giving Hazel a piggyback, both of them were giggling. They stumbled down the hill, and joined the others. "We're going. But we don't know the first thing about what were doing, we didn't even get a _prophecy_ yet. Are we all going on the quest? Usually it's only three demigods." Hazel voiced her doubts to the others.

"Well we had seven people on our last quest." Piper commented.

"That was an exception" Annabeth began to tap her fingers again. "What about Reyna? If she's not going we aren't just leaving her."

"Don't worry, I'm coming." Reyna sighed and sat down beside Annabeth. "I'm doing this because I want to live. Not for the gods, not to save to world. Also because I'd knew you'd all go." Reyna smirked. Annabeth felt herself holding her breath. She felt so excited and tried not to make a squeeking sound as she breathed.

"So... How do we get out of here? Go through some hole and crawl to the surface?" Asked Jason.

"I guess we should get out of here first, then look for the hole. Maybe Hades will help." Nico looked at the huge wall, that kept them in Elysium.

"Before we do anything, I'm going to pack. We need ambrosia and new clothes, and I know for sure that our old bodies would be skeletons by now." Annabeth blabbed.

"Actually when I came back to life the first time, I didn't need my old body. I just-got a new one I guess." Hazel looked uncomfortable talking about her other death experience.

"So I guess you'll be a two time zombie?" Annabeth scowled at Leo.

"I don't eat brains Leo. I don't see how I'd be a zombie-"

"We should start preparing. Meet here in an hour?" Annabeth got up and grabbed Percy's hand.

"Yeah see you all soon." Piper bit her lip and smiled, she rocked back and forth on the her heels.

When her and Percy got home, Annabeth smashed her lips with his. She meant to be more gentle, but she was too excited to care. _They were going to be alive._ Percy pressed onto her and they bumped into a wall. He kissed back hard, and they kissed for as long as they could hold their breath. Percy broke away panting, and he smiled, his eyes were so full of love and his hands were gently clutching her face. Annabeth kissed him again, this time more passionate, she felt her face flush. Percy was an amazing kisser.

"We should get ready"

"Uh huh" Percy smirked and gazed into her eyes, their lips so close they were almost touching. Their lips met again and Annabeth almost sighed, she wanted to continue, but they needed to be ready.

She gently pushed Percy off and looked around the room. Their house was big, enough room for the two of them. It was beautifully made, Annabeth admired the unique way the greek revival house was built. Huge white colums surrounded the house, Annabeth loved the way it mixed both Greek and American architecture. It even came with pictures and some personal belongings. When they first got here, there was lots of clothes for them to wear, perfectly their size. When they were gone, everything was cleaned. She looked into the closet, looking for a bag. Annabeth wondered if Elysium would supply survival gear. _But why would you need to survive in the afterlife? Idiot._

"Here." Percy pulled out a small drawstring bag. Annabeth would have prefered something bigger, but they did need to stop at Camp Halfblood before they went on the quest, they could get more proper supplies there.

"Do they have any water bottles? Where's the ambrosia?"

"I got some here." Percy pulled out a plastic bag with the squares inside. "I think the only reason they have ambrosia here is because it tastes good. You can't get hurt in Elysium."

"Uh huh" Annabeth was making a list in her mind. "We need water bottles" Annabeth walked to the kitchen and searched through the cupboards. "They must have them _somewhere."_

"Annabeth, I'm sure Leo can pull one out of his toolbelt or something." Percy leaned against the doorway and crossed his legs.

"Ok, what about extra clothes? Do we have any winter jackets or-"

"Winter jackets? We're only going to Long Island, not Alaska."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "We should be prepared for anything." Annabeth dropped the plate she was holding. _Smash._ "Oh gods. We don't have _weapons!_ Percy, Riptide could be anywhere! We don't have time for Leo to make us new swords."

"Annabeth, calm down. We'll figure something out."

"We haven't fought monsters in years. We should have trained-"

"We're dead Annabeth. What exactly would we train for? It was only yesterday that we found out about this."

Annabeth bit her lip. They only needed to make it to Camp Halfblood. Camp Jupiter was much closer, they could stop there, or they could head straight for Camp Halfblood. Camp Jupiter didn't have an oracle though. Annabeth wondered if Rachel was still holding the spirit of Delphi. Rachel would be in her late 20's now, so she probably still was.

"How much time is left?"

"Half an hour"

Just 30 minutes until she was alive. Annabeth felt _estatic._ Maybe she could see her dad again...

Percy grabbed her shaky hands in his own. Her hands were so cold on his. "I love you, Wise girl. Let's go pack clothes."

"I love you too, Seaweed brain."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own** **PJO**

Chapter 3: Hazel

Hazel took Frank's hand as they left their house. They lived here for 10 years, and now she was leaving for good. To help the Gods. Again. Hazel realised what Reyna said was true. She was being controlled by the Gods, like they were puppets in a show, the Gods watching them for entertainment. She clenched her fists and took a deep breath. She had to do this.

Everyone was waiting by their usual meeting spot. Their expressions were a mixture of nervousness and excitement. They also looked powerful, especially Annabeth and Reyna. Their eyes could see right through you.

"Hey Hazel." Nico was dressed in his usual black clothing with his matching black eyes. His skin looked more tan then it was since he arrived here ten years ago, and small freckles were visable on his nose. "I think shadow traveling is the best way to get out of here, and it's a lot easier to do it together."

Hazel nodded. Everyone was looking at her and Nico expectantly. Jason rubbed the back of his neck. "I hate shadow traveling."

"It's quicker then climbing over the wall." Hazel grabbed Frank's hand and the others made a chain. Hazel didn't enjoy shadow traveling either, but it didn't matter. They stepped into the shadow provided by the oak tree. Hazel was immediately engulfed in freezing cold shadows. Strange howls and rustles from someone walking on dry leaves filled her ears. She shivered and squeezed Frank's hand. Hazel shot forward, and suddenly she could see again. But this time, she wasn't in Elysium. Their was no sun, no laughing. The underworld sucked the joy out of her.

"I-Is that-" Jason eyes widened. Hazel glanced at her surroundings before something caught her eye. A huge hole was visable above the Fields of Punishment. It sucked in souls like a vacuum cleaner. She could hear the wind howling from here.

"I was expecting something completely different." Leo gulped.

"I was expecting stairs." Percy smirked at his own joke.

Hazel spaced out until Frank pulled her back to reality. "Come on." Frank smiled encouragingly and tugged her forward. Annabeth and Percy marched forward, unfazed by the evil looking black hole infront of them. _They probably saw worse in Tartarus._ Elysium always kept away her bad thoughts, sheilding her from the real world. Now she was exposed to the cruel reality again.

"So when we come out of there we'll be in Los Angeles?" Asked Percy.

"Yeah-"

Annabeth's eyes were calculating. "Wait! Percy, when you went with Nico into the underworld, you didn't travel all the way to Los Angeles. There was another entrace in Central Park. The Door of Orpheus."

Nico looked thoughtful. "We would need music to get through. I've never tried to go through from the underworld before, but it's worth a shot."

"Piper and Will can sing well." Suggested Leo.

Will's eyes widened. "NO! I-I mean no thanks."

Hazel scrunched up her eyebrows. Maybe Will didn't like singing.

Piper pursed her lips. "Fine."

They walked toward the hole. Each step seemed harder and harder. Hazel almost wanted to go back, the closer she got the more she noticed certain details. Like the severed body parts laying on the Fields of Punishment. Or the horrible screams and buzzing that filled her ears. How the grass wasn't green anymore, but dark red. The terrible torture devices just laying around-

"What song are you going to sing Pipes? I personally like Adele." Hazel knew Leo was trying to distract them, but she was happy to think about something else.

"Pfft. Jeez Leo I thought you had better taste in music." Piper snickered.

"I'm offended. Have you heard set fire to the rain?" Leo grinned and ignited flames on his hands.

"Once we find some water, we can test it out." Percy joined in. The others smiled as they listened to the weird conversation.

"Help! Please!" A women ran up to Hazel and grabbed her arm and tugged her away.

" _Come with me._ Please. I n-need help, please.." The women had tears streaming down her face. Dried blood was clumped in her hair and her long nails dug into Hazel's skin, drawing blood. When Hazel struggled against her, she dropped to her knees and let out a horrible cry, like Hazel had injured her. She wailed and begged for Hazel to help her.

"Stop it!" Frank tried to pry her off, but she bit his hand. The women grabbed a rusty dagger and tried to embed it into Hazel's gut, Hazel blocked the dagger just in time. Then the women wrapped her arms around Hazel's legs and used her body weight to pin her to the ground, Hazel grabbed her arm before the knife could pierce her neck. The women was surprisingly strong for someone so skinny.

"No!" Hazel looked out of the corner of her eye as Percy and Frank grabbed the lady and pried her off. The women kicked and hissed, like a wild animal. Frank grabbed a shard of a broken sword and slit her throat.

Hazel's heart was hammering and her eyes widened. She watched Frank, expecting to see his face filled with remorse, instead it was cold and he looked...scary.

"Let's go. _Now."_ Annabeth backed up slowly, her eyes fixed on something. Hazel swiveled around and gulped. More tortured souls were walking towards them, with murderous expressions. There were people with armour from medieval ages. Some people with shreds of clothing left. They all looked bloody and some were even missing body parts.

They all ran, Hazel breathed heavily and her small legs worked overtime. She glanced at Frank, he was right behind her. It was stupid to think he looked scary, he was just protecting her. He didn't hesitate when he killed her, because she deserved to die. But what if the women was like her mom? Her mom was going to go to the Fields of Punishment, she didn't deserve that. Would her mom be like that if she was sent here?

"Piper! SING!" Screamed Annabeth. Hazel realised how close they were to the hole. Hazel could barely hear Annabeth over the wind. Piper paniced for a second before she started to sing. Hazel couldn't hear her anymore, because she was being lifted off her feet. She screamed and flailed around in the air. Piper's singing filled her ears, she wasn't even singing words, it was notes. It was beautiful though, and it calmed Hazel down.

Hazel felt herself being streched and pain flared through her whole body. She moved so fast, that it felt like the skin was pealing off her face. She was screaming so loud that it was hurting her ears. Then she stopping moving, and dropped down on cold stone, in darkness.

"AHHH-ugh." Someone dropped on top of her. Hazel grunted and struggled, since she couldn't breathe. "Sorry, sorry, ow-sorry" it was Frank, he kept falling again and each time his elbow stabbed her. Hazel knew he must be blushing, even without seeing him.

"It's ok"

"Hazel? Oh gods sorry, sorry, sorry-"

Just then two more people dropped down beside them, judging by the threats and the sorrys, it was Percy and Annabeth.

"Who's there?"

"Hazel and Frank."

"Where in Hades are we?" She could reconize Annabeth's annoyed voice.

"Some sort of cave I think." Replied Hazel.

"Fantastic." Percy said sarcastically.

Curses filled Hazel's ears, getting more and more creative until more people fell into the cave.

"Owch." Piper bumped into Hazel and jumped.

"Wha-"

"It's Hazel. Frank, Percy and Annabeth are here too." Hazel looked around blindly.

"That was a horrible experience." Reyna sighed. Hazel agreed. Being streched out and shoved through the ground wasn't fun. The cave was starting to get hot, Hazel breathed deeply, trying to get more oxygen into her lungs, but it just wasn't there.

More bodies dropped into the cave. "Idiot get off-"

"Shut up."

"Nico? Are you ok?"

"Fine."

Leo, Jason, Will, and Nico were here. Hazel was already feeling light headed. She could hear people panting, and suddenly she was close to hyperventilating.

"We need to go. Piper, can you sing more and open a tunnel?" Asked Reyna.

Piper's voice transformed. Her deep voice became higher pitched, and Hazel heard the sound of earth moving behind her. She stuck out her arms and searched for the tunnel. Hazel shuffled her feet and blinked her eyes rapidly, trying to find some sort of light source. Her hands felt stone and she moved around until finally the wall dropped away into a tunnel.

"Over here guys." Called Hazel. She dropped to her knees and crawled upward. It was difficult feeling her way around, crawling up the tunnel wasn't comfortable at all. Piper's singing carved a path for them, and soon enough the rocks became dirt, a musty smell filled her nose. Hazel cut her hands on sharp rocks that jutted out of the ground. It was weird to bleed.

"Hey! My face!" Percy cried out.

"Woops." Annabeth repositioned herself, Hazel heard someone chuckle.

The rest of the climb was silent. Everyone was probably too focused on not falling to make small talk. She crawled fast, desperate for fresh air. Beads of sweat dripped down her forhead, she didn't know it could be so hot underground. Soon it wasn't pitch black, and more of a grey colour, they were close.

Then Hazel crawled face first into a rock. "Ow."

"We're here!" Piper stopped singing and crawled forward, she slipped past Hazel and sung her loudest. The rocks trembled until they opened up, and harsh sunlight blinded Hazel. She scampered out, eager to be out of the tunnel. Instantly warm sunlight soaked her, and bright green trees popped up everywhere. The air was wonderful and fresh, much better then the musty air in the tunnel.

 _They were here._


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! I love reviews, and I would love to hear everyones opinions. Since your the readers, your advice is important to keep the story going. So please review!**

 **ABlokeCalledLester: Thank you! I remember in The Last Olympian, the Door of Orpheus could be opened by singing or playing a musical instrument. So when Piper sung, it opened the tunnel into Central Park.**

Chapter 4: Jason

Jason's lips curled into a smile, holding his breath in excitement. The sun slowly setted in the background, some New Yorker's were still wandering around, and the chilly air felt so nice on Jason's skin after the hot tunnel. In Elysium it was always summer, Jason always prefered fall. The crisp air mixed with the dried leaves crackling under his feet, and he was in heaven.

Not everyone was exactly as happy as he was. Reyna wrapped her arms and herself, and Leo rubbed his hands together, creating sparks.

"Come on! It's not even that cold." Teased Percy.

"Whatever. I've lived in San Francisco for most of my life, then died and went to Elysium, which is like the Bahamas." Reyna shot back.

" _Jason."_ Piper whispered. "There's someone watching us." She held his gaze, and kept a smile plastered on her face.

Jason tried to be as discreet as possible, and quickly glaced around. There wasn't any monsters, but that didn't mean they weren't disguised as mortals. His eyes locked with a girl's about his age who was sitting close by on a park bench. She was African American, and had shoulder length poofy hair. She didn't look like a monster, she almost looked like a demigod, but Jason knew some monsters disguised themselves easily.

"We don't have any celestial bronze or imperial gold. We can't defend ourselves." Annabeth fiddled with her necklace, her lips forming a tight line.

"We could go to my mom's apartment." Suggested Percy.

"We don't even know if she lives there anymore Percy." Annabeth watched the girl out of the corner of her eye.

Piper bit her lip. "Jason can fly one of us, and Frank can turn into a dragon and carry two more. Maybe Percy can transport some of us underwater. I think we should go to Camp Halfblood and see what we're dealing with before anything." Piper spoke with clarity.

The girl kept glancing at them, and that's when Jason noticed the sword strapped to her waist. The bronze blade glinted in the sun, catching Jason's eye. It was simular to Nico's, the kopis sword looked menacing, close to the size of a spatha. The curved blade could easily kill any of them without a weapon.

"She has to be a demigod, that's celestial bronze." Reyna studied the girl, cocking her head to the side curiously.

"HEY!" Leo cupped his hands around his mouth, and shouted at the demigod.

" _What_ in Hades are you doing? _You VLACAS!_ Barked Annabeth, her eyes blazing.

"She's coming over here!" Hissed Will.

Jason narrowed his eyes at the demigod. She had her sword drawn, and stalked towards them. She had her other hand on her dagger. He expected her to stop, but she suddenly charged forward and feinted towards Reyna's chest. She moved so quickly Jason could hear her slicing through the air. She pressed the blade against Reyna's neck. That was her mistake.

Reyna let out a sharp laugh and stepped backwards, out of the swords reach. She grabbed the girl's wrist and twisted it, making her cry out in pain and her hand spasm. The sword clattered to the ground.

"Who are you." Reyna snarled.

The demigod glared at her, and spat in Reyna's face. She kicked Reyna's stomach, but as she turned around, Annabeth appeared infront of her and tackled her to the ground, pressing her forearm against her neck.

" _Who_ are you?" Annabeth put more pressure against her throat.

"Ok! Ok. I'm from Camp Halfblood, I'm a daughter of Athena, my name is Riley. Who are _you_? Rogue demigods?"

"Not so smart for a daughter of Athena." Leo commented.

Riley snapped her fingers. Jason stared at the spot where Riley was just laying, Annabeth gasped.

" _That's_ because, I'm a daughter of Hecate." Jason spun around and opened his mouth in surprise. Riley twirled the mist around her fingers, smirking at them. About a dozen more demigods stood behind her in full battle armour.

"Don't make me ask again." Riley's eyes bore into Jason's.

Nico stepped forward, holding his hands up.

"Nico Di angelo? Is that Percy Jackson?" Whispered one of the demigods.

"We're not rogue demigods. We came from Elysium. We were sent here to help." Reasoned Nico.

"Prove it." Riley kept her hand on her sword, ready to kill them if things went wrong.

Jason played with his hands. _How would he convince them? He didn't know these people._

"We can use our powers. Monsters wouldn't be able to control water, or control precious metals." Stated Annabeth.

"Jason Grace could fly, so can monsters. Frank Zhang could shape-shift, so can monsters. It's not good enough." Replied Riley.

"Then take us to Chiron, we know him." Piper used her charm speak.

"When we get to the boarders, we'll be able to pass through, we're demigods." Annabeth radiated confindence and power.

Riley tapped her foot against the ground, obviously deep in thought. She looked each of them in the eye, watching for any sign of dishonesty.

"Fine. If you have any weapons, give them here. You will be held at sword point until we arrive at Camp Halfblood."

Jason knew that there was probably demigods who snuck through the boarders in the past. When they got there they had to convince Chiron that it was actually them, or maybe other campers if they were still there.

Frank handed over the broken sword to Riley. She raised an eyebrow before signaling to the other demigods.

Jason stiffened as one of the demigods pressed a sharp sword into his back. The meaning was clear. _Move._

His eyes met with Piper's. She nodded reassuringly, before moving forward.

Jason couldn't relax for one second. His eyes darted around looking for monsters in the woods. The sun had set completely, leaving them in the dark. Jason had no idea where he was, and that just added to his worries. He felt the eyes of the demigods land on him, watching in wonder and curiosity. He never thought of himself as famous. He just felt unlucky all the time. But maybe he could trust them. Their trust was hard to win, people who trusted easily usually wanted something.

Jason _really_ hated not being in control. The longer they walked the more anxious he got, and the less he trusted these people. For all he knew they could be walking into a trap, it was stupid to go with them. The Gods would laugh if they died 20 minutes after coming back from the dead.

Riley kept twirling the mist around her finger, then making weird hand gestures, Jason guessed she was hiding them from monsters.

Jason's heartbeat quickened as the cool fall breeze suddenly stopped. The only sound was the crunching of their footsteps. He couldn't shake the awful feeling he had, his stomach twisted. A cruel laugh echoed through the trees, making Jason stop in is tracks, but it stopped as soon as it started.

Maybe it was his head messing with him, but Jason learned to always trust his instincts, and his bad feeling couldn't be ignored.

"Riley-" Jason was cut off by another laugh. It wasn't a joyful laugh, more cold and cruel. It was definitely a women's laugh, reminding him of Gaea.

"Fools you are, to leave your camp. Now you're mine." A women appeared infront of them, she clapped loudly and suddenly Jason couldn't move.

She had striny black hair, tied back by a gold headband. She wore a white tunic, decorated by gold designs, with a cloak overtop. Her eyes were cold and lifeless, her full lips curled into a sneer.

"I am Medea, daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis, niece of Circe, and granddaughter of the sun god Helios." She paused before scowling at Jason. Her black eyes met his, his jaw clenched and he glared at her. Medea scowled and twisted her hand, in one sharp, quick movement.

Pain flared through Jason's whole body. He cried out in agony and doubled over. His vision blurred, all he could focus on is his pain. _Make it stop, make it stop._ It was like a hand was twisting is organs into knots while he was still awake.

Slowly the pain subsided. He breathed heavily, blinking tears out of his eyes. Jason could feel grass and leaves under him, and his brain started to work.

Someone grabbed the back of his shirt and roughly hauled him up from the ground.

"Get up." Medea's voice was deep and rich, almost like Piper's. The only difference was that it held no emotion, she sounded more bored and uncaring, then Piper could ever sound.

"Treat me with respect, _Jason Grace."_ She spat out his name like it was trash. Jason still held Medea's gaze, unwavering. Then Medea striked his face, it burned and prickled, he gasped in surprise.

"Children of Gods are so arrogent. When will you learn to obey? You think you're _so_ divine and powerful, but in reality, I could break you like a twig." She cocked her head to the side, studing Jason. Her were full of wit, he felt like he was being cracked open like an egg under her gaze. Revealing everything he was, right infront of her.

Everyone else was being held at sword point, by warriors from anicent Greece and Rome. They all tooked around 6,4 and strong. Monsters surrounded them, they eagerly watched the demigods. Most looked at Percy with hatred.

Medea strolled away towards Piper, with dangerous interest. She seemed to be enjoying the power she had over them, she smiled in satisfaction. That was the first emotion he had seen on her face.

Jason locked eyes with Percy. Percy gave a small nod before an expression of intense concentration crossed his face. Jason heard a dull roar coming from the forest, getting louder and louder.

"What is that?" Medea stalked over to Percy. "Stop that!" She bared her teeth and twisted her hand cruelly. Percy clutched his stomach and cried out. But the roar did not subside, it couldn't be stopped now. "I warn you Perseus Jackson, if you do not listen to me, your fate will be much worse then death." She snarled.

The water got closer and closer. Medea screamed in frustration. "I warned you."

With that she disappeared into thin air, the man behind Jason followed, with the rest of her army.

Jason's jaw dropped as he saw the wave of water charging towards him. _Crap_. Before he could move, he was swept off his feet, and his world turned upside down. The force alone of the wave almost made him black out.

 _No, no, no..._

Jason desperately clawed for the surface, but everything was going too fast. He paniced as the need to breathe became more crucial.

His nose burned as it filled with water, he tried to stay conscious. He struggled against the water, but it was so much more powerful then him, all he could do was hope. His struggles got more weak. Jason couldn't hold his breath any longer. Water filled his lungs, and his vision went black.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO**

 **Hey guys. I'm updating a day late because I was totally absorbed in the book "The Song of Achilles." That book is a masterpiece, if you haven't read it, read it _now._ **

Chapter 5: Piper

Piper screamed, but all that came out were bubbles. She could not be heard underwater, she was utterly alone. She was swept away with the current, like a leaf in the fall wind.

She desperately searched for air, reaching her hands out to find something to cling to. Piper noticed a dark mass infront of her, and smashed into it. Her eyes burned from the dirty water, she closed them and felt infront of her. Rough bark scratched against her hands. _A tree._ She opened her eyes again, ignoring the pain.

Piper hugged the tree and inched towards the surface. She was petrified to let go, to be swept away, lost. Cold air made her shiver as she finally broke the surface. She spluttered and gasped, taking in the precious oxygen.

" _Jason!_ Hello?" She could not see anyone. _Were they still underwater?_ Was she alone? Did all her friends drown? _No._

Piper noticed the water's strength slowly started to lessen, until it was like a calm stream. Even without the powerful current, she was still in danger. The water felt like knives leaving small cuts, over and over and _over._ The water was cruelly cold.

"Piper!" Percy touched her arm, startling her. She could barely make out his features, but it was definitely Percy, since he was dry.

The water started to drain away, sinking into the earth, and going back to where it came from.

"P-Percy?"

"Yeah, it's me." Piper shivered, just standing in the water was tiresome. Percy clung to her, slowly the panic faded away. His presence was comforting.

"What h-happened?" Piper shook violently, her tongue didn't seem to work.

"Medea used that curse on me, and the wave went out of control, I'm sorry." It was not unlike Percy to blame himself, even for things that were not his fault. Piper could relate, it was easier to blame yourself, take the burden on your own shoulders.

"It's alright. She hugged Percy, trying to tell him what she could not form into words. "We have to find the others."

The moon offered no light, the forest was dark as the abyss. They cried out their friends names, Piper held onto the sleeve of Percy's shirt, terrified to be alone again.

Piper heard voices ahead, her and Percy ran towards them, eager to find their friends. "Percy! Thank the gods!" Annabeth gave Percy a huge bear hug, leaving small kisses all over his face. Piper's eyes searched for a certain blond haired demigod. Dread overwelmed her when she realized. _Jason wasn't here._

"Jason?" She stumbled forward, hoping to see his face. He was not there.

"He wasn't with you? He..." But Piper wasn't listening, she was already shouting out his name and ran deeper into the woods, desperately searching for him. _Don't be dead. Don't be dead, please._ She fell over, again and again, but got back up each time. Her pain did not register.

Each second weighed her down, it was killing her. Each second ticked by, and each second made it seem more likely for Jason to be dead.

Piper tumbled over, sharp rocks dug into her stomach. She turned around to see what she tripped over, and gasped. _Jason._ He layed motionless, pale and sprawled on the cold ground.

She seized his wrist, searching for a pulse. _Nothing._ She let out a sob before pressing her fingers harder. She would not give up that easily. For a few moments, nothing again. But then, she felt a small pulse agianst her fingers. It was so small, she thought she was imagining it. But she felt it again. Alive, but barely.

"Help!" She cursed herself for not knowing CPR. You would think after being in life threatening situations almost every day, she would learn how to actually _save_ a life. Nope.

The thundering of feet grew closer, and Piper held Jason's face in her hands. She drunk in his features, his golden hair, small wet curls stuck to his forhead. His emotion filled features were slack. His bronze skin that was now pale. But still smooth to the touch.

Jason would _not_ leave her this easy.

Percy dropped down beside her, he placed his hand to Jason's chest. Piper remembered when he did this before, how he removed all the water out of Jason's lungs.

Piper held his limp hands, pressing her lips to them. Almost immediately Jason began couging and spluttering, his eyes flying open, wide with panic.

She rubbed his back as he coughed up the rest of the water. He gasped and spent a few minutes catching his breath. Slowly he sat up, looked at Piper, and kissed her. It was soft, gentle. The kiss spoke a message. _Thank the Gods that your not_ _dead._

She wasn't used to this. The thousands of emotions tumbling on her all at once, she just wanted things simple. Not living in terror of your loved one dieing every day. She wanted to smile, but also cry.

The others let out sighs of relief, smiling unsurely.

"You gave us a scare there Jason." Percy's smile didn't quite reach his eyes. He looked troubled, like he was fighting with himself.

"Don't do that ever again." Reyna hugged Jason stiffly. She wiped away her frown and smiled softly. Jason returned her smile.

"Glasses?" Jason squinted and felt the ground around him. Gods know where they went.

Piper hauled Jason to his feet, he was unsteady but managed anyway. Jason was too proud to accept help, he and Percy were simular in that way.

They were unarmed, and in the woods at night. It was the worst combination. Already Piper heard howls and strange noises around her. It was unnerving to hear but not see. Riley and the rest of her army seemed to have dissappeared, and they were the only ones who had weapons.

Their lives were running from one danger to another. Maybe they would get a break inbetween, if they were lucky. Most of the time it was a constant never ending battle, that they were losing, badly. Demigods rarely came back from the dead. When you died, that was the end. For monsters, they never died. They were reborn, waiting to get their revenge on their killers. You were lucky to fight the same monster only once.

She envied mortals. Most got a happy ending, not demigods. No, they were forced to fight a losing battle. They didn't get a break. Yet she was complaining, when Percy, Jason, and Annabeth have been fighting all their lives.

"We should go." Mumbled Piper.

The others nodded on agreement, their eyes round and glazed over with fear. How exactly would they get to Camp Halfblood? They were lost in the woods at night, and surrounded by monsters that probably smelled their scent by now. She turned to Annabeth, she always had a plan. But dread weighed her down as she watched Annabeth's expression.

Piper hated this feeling. Almost every day she thought of herself as useless, she was the worst fighter here. The only thing she could do was charm people into doing what she wanted, not exactly the best skill you could acquire from your Godly parent.

Maybe they needed their parents to guide them to Camp Halfblood. That's if they would listen.

 _Please mom-Aphrodite, we need your help to get to Camp Halfblood._ _Please._

Her mom was nothing less of annoying, but she was powerful, one of the oldest goddesses. Love was beautiful but deadly, like Aphrodite.

She cracked her eyes open, and saw a glowing orb floating infront of her. It was white and hummed loudly. It started to drift away, and Piper stumbled after it.

It was fast. _Really_ fast. It zigzaged and twisted around, darting through the trees. The buzzing sound was annoying, but Piper was grateful since it was the only reason she didn't lose it.

She could hear Percy cursing behind her as he tripped constantly, mixed with Hazel letting out annoyed huffs as he swore. Piper couldn't help but smirk.

Sometimes she would catch flashes of light, making it easier to place her feet on the uneven terrain. She gripped Jason's hand, directing him in the right way. She heard scuffles and howls, snapping of twigs, and what sounded like something thundering through the forest. She hoped they didn't find whatever it was.

At first it was easy to dodge the trees and weave her way around without tripping. Soon she became more exhausted, and huffed with the effort. She remembered having gym class with Couch Hedge, that was nothing less then torture. Maybe she should have became a better runner. Her feet tripped over themselves, and her face burned and dripped with sweat.

Right when Piper was ready to collapse, the buzzing stopped. She thought that she lost the orb, and used the last of her strength to run forward. Instead she found Halfblood hill, with the golden fleece at the top. She could see the light behind the hill, belonging to the camp.

Her excitement fueled her as she half crawled/ran up the hill. The dragon at the top perked his head up, and bared his teeth at them, hissing.

 _Just a little bit farther, then you can go to bed. And sleep for 100 years._

Her throat was parched and her legs wobbled like jelly. She even felt light-headed, which was probably a sign of dehydration. The small breeze was a luxury, cooling her sweaty face.

She leaned on Jason, she concentrated on her footing and didn't notice when they began their decend to the camp. _Keep going,_ she said to herself. _Go to sleep_ , she replied. _Litterally just wait 5 minutes._ _No, sleep now._

Piper gasped as she fell, and started to roll down the hill, but Jason kept hold of her hand and helped her up. He grabbed her arm and slung it over his shoulder, he gave a reassuring smile, his eyes twinkling.

Piper heard dull shouts ahead of her, it sounded like they were underwater. Jason talked to the demigods but Piper did not catch what they were saying. Her surroundings didn't seem important right now, she had to focus on not falling, which was harder then it seems. At one point they started to move again, and Piper remembered being set on a fluffy bed. Instantly her muscles felt relieved. She curled up and fell into a beautiful, blissful sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Nico

"Nico!"

Nico groaned and pulled the covers over his head.

"Get up you idiot."

"Go away."

Will ripped the blankets away from him, and grabbed a pillow which hit Nico in the head. He responded by giving him the finger. He shivered and curled up in a ball.

"Drama queen." Will sighed and sat down beside him. Will gently pushed a lock of his hair behind his ear, Nico squeezed his eyes shut and tried not to blush. _Why_ did he have to blush so much? He's been with Will for 10 years, and yet he _still_ blushes. It ruins his "ghost king" vibe.

"There's a meeting in the Big House in ten minutes. Get ready you lazy ass."

"Your annoying."

"And _your_ not going to get any kisses if you don't get up." Nico rolled his eyes but got out of bed anyway.

They were questioned for hours last night. Everyone wasn't convinced, and by the time they actually realised it was them, they were questioned about why they were here, how they came back, and if others would come back too. Nico just really wanted to sleep.

He pulled on a comfortable back hoodie with ripped black jeans. He was informed by a daughter of Aphrodite that "ripped jeans" went out of style years ago. Like he cares.

Will was waiting outside the door. "Hey sunshine." Nico smiled softly and stood up on his tip toes to kiss him. He leaned forward and closed his eyes. Then Will licked his face.

Will burst out laughing. Nico struggled not to laugh. "That's gross." Will snickered and strolled towards the Big House.

Everyone went silent as they walked into the Big House. Their eyes stayed fixed on Nico as they took their spot around the table.

Chiron clasped his hands together. "I called you here today, to discuss the events of last night. As you most likely already know, 10 demigods have joined us to aide in the fight against the witch Medea."

"Who says we need help?" A boy with sandy brown hair stuck his nose in the air.

"We have already lost enough friends to this war. These are the most powerful heroes of their time, it would be wise to accept their help." Replied Chiron. "I regret to inform you, last night after everyone settled down in their cabins, some campers were taken-"

The crowd broke out in whispers and gasps.

"Who?" Everyone went silent and watched Chiron.

Chiron took a deep breath and grimaced. "Riley Quinn, Logan Wilson, and Calypso."

A girl broke down in tears at the sound of Riley's name. Nico didn't know Logan, but he has heard of Calypso. Leo and Calypso had reunited last night, and Calypso had been taken away only hours after.

"W-were they taken by Medea?" A young boy spoke nervously.

"I believe they were taken to use as leverage in the war." Said Chiron.

Nico watched Leo. His eyes were bloodshot, and they lacked their usual mischievous twinkle. His head was lowered as he tapped his fingers against the table.

"What about the great prophecy?" Asked a girl with long brown hair.

"I think the next great prophecy is coming to pass, Lydia. Could you please repeat the prophecy for our friends who have not heard?"

"Of corse Chiron." Replied Lydia.

" _On the mountain's slopes,_

 _Wisdom shall loose all hope._

 _For the bane of the sea lights the way,_

 _Stuck in endless darkness he shall pay._

 _At her end it is love that destroys her,_

 _The innocent will lose what they once were."_

"That doesn't sound good." Mumbled Will.

Chiron cleared his throat. "I have spoken with the Gods, and they say that the next great prophecy is coming to pass. The Gods wish for Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena to lead this quest. Do you accept Annabeth?"

Percy went pale. "I'm coming with her."

"That is for Annabeth to decide, my friend." Chiron regarded the couple with sad eyes.

Annabeth closed her eyes and placed her shaky hands on the table. "I-I accept. And I choose Percy to come with me." Annabeth paused and looked around for another demiogod to join the quest. Leo watched her eagerly, so did the rest of the seven, and Reyna.

Annabeth took a deep breath, "I choose Leo Valdez."

"Then it's settled. You're all dismissed." Chiron ignored the angry voices. "Annabeth, Percy, and Leo, may I speak with you?"

Nico headed towards his cabin, but was stopped by Jason. "I think that we should all go on the quest. They are my friends, and I don't want them to leave so early. By the sound of that prophecy, the quest isn't going to end well."

He expected that Jason would want to go. Nico was pretty sure that the only reason that the Gods brought them back, was to go on a quest. If they didn't go they could be sent right back to Elysium.

"What are you going to do? Sneak out of camp?"

"Uh, yeah that's what I was thinking."

"And what if Annabeth tells you to go back?"

"She will have to drag us." Reyna popped up behind Jason. "I'm not going to let my friends handle a great prophecy alone."

If Nico didn't go, what was the point of coming back in the first place?

"I'll go then." Answered Nico.

"Me too." Added Will.

Nico opened his mouth to argue. Will would be needed here to help in the infirmary. Will was never much of a fighter, and this quest would include a lot of fighting.

"I don't want to hear it." Will placed his hand over Nico's mouth. "I have as much of a right as you do to go on this quest. It would be smart to bring a doctor along, and I can defend myself."

Nico glared at Will, but gave up. Will was too stubborn to listen to him anyways.

"What did he say?" Jason turned towards Annabeth emerging from the Big House.

"He talked about where we're going, and other quest stuff. In the prophecy it talks about a mountain, so I'm guessing we're going to a mountain." Answered Percy.

"That's all we got so far." Annabeth pursed her lips. "Can we talk in private? Where's Hazel and Frank? And Piper?" Annabeth whispered.

"Piper is sleeping still. And...there's Hazel and Frank!" Jason gestured towards two figures talking quietly. They turned towards Jason and made their way over.

"Piper is in the Zeus cabin, come on."

Percy and Leo smirked. On Leo it looked forced, but Nico didn't blame him. Leo's love life was pretty ruff.

Percy smiled wickedly. "Make sure she's clothed when I come in there Grace, I've already walked in-"

 _Percy!"_ Scolded Annabeth.

Leo snorted, and Hazel blushed and fanned her face. Jason glared daggers at Percy.

Jason closed to door behind them, and went to go wake Piper. Nico looked around in Jason's cabin. It looked like there was a few campers were living in here. It was much more different then his cabin. Instead of being gloomy with everything black, and decorated with skulls, the Zeus cabin was bright and was decorated with gold and a few lightning bolts. It looked like a mini mansion, completed with a creepy golden statue of Zeus.

Piper stumbled in looking disheveled, her hair was sticking up everywhere, and she was blinking rapidly at the sunlight leaking through the window.

"Annabeth? Your going on a quest?" Asked Piper.

"Yeah." Annabeth sighed. "I need to talk to you guys about the quest. I already know that your all planning to go."

"You do?" Reyna exclaimed.

"It was obvious that you wouldn't let us go alone, and it's not like I can stop you."

"Well that was easier then I thought it would be." Jason smiled.

"I also need to talk about Medea." Annabeth looked grim. "Chiron said that Medea is a sorceress. She was the wife of Jason from ancient Greece. When he left her, she murdered their children and his new wife. Then she moved to Athens, and married Aegeus and tried to kill his son Theseus, but failed. Then she ran away and wasn't seen again."

"Even a sorceress like her shouldn't be able to bring back to dead. Chiron dosn't know for sure, but he thinks she's draining power from something. It could be a place, or a god. She's using that power to build an army. He thinks we have to destroy it to stop her."

So they were dealing with a witch who killed her children. Fantastic.

"So _that's_ why she dosn't like my name." Jason commented.

Hazel leaned forward. "Do you think the power source could be the mountain in the prophecy?"

"Maybe." Annabeth sighed in frustration. "There's Mount Olympus, one above the empire state building and one in Greece. Also Mount Othrys, one in the United States and one in Greece. There's a lot of powerful mountains, but those two are mentioned the most in mythology. If she wanted power then she would use one of those."

"Greece is full of ancient magic. I think the gods would know if she was draining away power from Mount Olympus in the United States." Stated Nico.

"I agree. Plus in the giant war, they were going to cut off the Gods power from their "roots." Greece is where the Gods were born, with the Titans and countless other beings. The older the magic, the more powerful." Annabeth paced around, her voice rising with anticipation.

"Wait, Mount Othrys was used as the Titan's base during the second Titan war. It's where Atlas holds the sky up. So in the first war they used the same mountain?" Asked Percy.

"In the first war, the Titans used Mount Othrys in Greece. Technically in the second Titan war they used Mount Tamalpais in San Francisco, but only _called_ it Mount Othrys." Answered Annabeth.

Percy squinted at Annabeth. "This is confusing."

Annabeth smiled. "Our whole lives are confusing."

"So... we're going back to Greece again?" Frank looked sad. Nico wondered why until he realised that Frank _died_ in Athens. _And so did Hazel...and Percy, and Jason..._

Annabeth trembled. " _Only_ if we have to."

Frank gave a small nod. His face twisted in a frown as he relived memories.

"We should go have breakfast! I'm starving and all this talking is making me more hungry." Leo gave a toothy grin and pranced outside. Nico wasn't hungry, he felt too uneasy to eat. He was struggling not to have a flashback.

"Will?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we go back to my cabin? I don't feel like eating." Will looked like he was about to scold Nico, but then sighed.

"Alright."

Nico nearly ran inside. He breathed heavily and struggled not to remember. _Just don't think about it._

"Nico? Are you alright?"

It was no use. Small flashes of memory came back to him. The corpses laying on the battle field. The horrible iron smell...

Will wrapped him in a hug. Nico didn't even know he was crying. He pressed his face into Will's chest and muffled his sobs. Will's embrace was comforting, and it brought him back to reality.

"Thanks" Nico mumbled.

"No need to thank me."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Leo

 _She was gone._

Leo couldn't protect her. He was useless.She was snatched from him while he slept, and he woke up to find her gone. She was in trouble and he _slept_ while she needed help. _Stupid, stupid, stupid..._

"Leo?" Piper placed a hand on his shoulder. "You ok?"

He shook his head. With anyone else, Leo would have smiled and said he was fine. But this was Piper, one of his first _real_ best friends. If he couldn't tell her, he couldn't tell anyone.

"Let's go down to the lake."

Leo nodded.

Piper sat down on the rocks, with her toes kissing the water. Leo sat down beside her. The water lapped against the rocky shore, and the breeze made his curly black hair messier then it already was.

"What's up?"

Then he realised. Piper still didn't know about Calypso. He would rather not explain, but Piper deserved to know.

"Um...last night, Calypso went missing with 2 other demigods, Riley and another guy."

Piper blew out a breath. "I-I'm sorry Leo."

"Nah it's fine." Leo ran a hand through his hair. "I-I just...miss her, you know? We just found eachother again, and-and..."

Piper engulfed him in a hug. He squeezed his eyes shut and struggled not to cry. But with all the emotions toppling on him at once, the tears won. How come everyone he loved left him?

"Am I cursed?" Leo knew he sounded childish but the words tumbled out anyways.

Piper gripped his shoulders and stared at him with intensity. "Don't you _ever_ say that again, Valdez. You're not cursed. You are the best person I know. You're kind, determined, smart and selfless. And my best friend."

"But everyone leaves. Calypso...my mom. It was my fault."

"It wasn't your fault."

"It was! My mom..." Why was he saying this?

"What?"

"Nothing. It was nothing." Would Piper hate him if he told her what he did? He killed his mom. She wouldn't trust him anymore, would she?

Piper bit her lip. "If you need to talk I'm always here, Leo."

His heart sped up. Maybe he should tell someone. Keeping all these secrets bottled up inside was killing him.

And so he did. The words were foreign on his tongue, and he stuttered and struggled to explain what happened. He couldn't meet Piper's eyes. He was afraid to find her resentful and disgusted. Slowly it was easier. But retelling a story was like reliving it, and memories clear as day come back to him. The heat of the fire. Gaea in her sleeping form. But he also remembered his mom's sweet smile. Her tinkering and building genius inventions. Tapping " _I love you"_ in morse code. The only reason he was able to keep going was the small happy memory mixed with the bad.

"Leo..." When he turned towards Piper he was surprised to find her crying. Her eyes held anguish and heartache as bulbs of tears trailed down her cheeks.

She wasn't disgusted or angry with him. No, she was crying for him.

He never wanted to talk about that again. It was too hard. He wished he could just forget everything and just not exist for awhile.

"Come here." Piper hugged his trembling body. "It was Gaea. Not you. It _wasn't_ you. I love you Leo." He knew she meant it in a friend way, and he would always love Piper. He wouldn't know what to do without her.

He was a damaged person. He knew that. Leo hated showing this side of him. All the scars and pain and heartache, that was better off left hidden. He thought if someone knew they would hate him. Strangely, he felt light. Some stress was lifted of his shoulders and he could breathe easier.

"Gods, what would I do with out you?" Piper sniffled.

"My jokes light up your life Pipes. Admit it." Leo let out a strangled laugh.

"No way."

"Some of them are pretty clever."

"The only reason I laugh is because your jokes are so stupid."

Leo snorted. His head hurt from all the crying. His emotions were all over the place and snot came out of his nose. He was a giant mess.

Piper looked at him with pity, which was one of the worst things she could do. Leo didn't want anything to be different. He didn't want to be treated like a timed bomb that could go off any second.

Piper seemed to realise what she was doing and guiltily looked away. Then her eyes lit up, she had an idea.

"Do you want to go swimming?" Asked Piper.

"Huh?"

"In the lake. Swimming."

Leo would be out of his element, and he was _really_ bad at swimming. But he could use some best friend time before the death quest.

"The water would be freezing."

Piper backed up into the water. She shivered and started to laugh.

"Are you crazy?"

"And proud of it." Piper went deeper into the water fully dressed. She laughed. Like a deep belly laugh, uncontrollable and made a smile creep onto Leo's face.

He stepped into the water. It was _freezing,_ but for some reason made him energized and happy. It was like waking up.

Leo kicked water into Piper's face. It soaked her hair and clothes completely. She closed her eyes with her mouth agape dramatically.

She let out a battle cry, and charged towards him. He tried to run away but he was painfully slow in the water.

He splatted face first into the water. Piper laughed mockingly before running away.

They did this for hours. Wrestling in the lake and being kids for once. He felt alive and a permanent smile was stuck on his face. Finally Hazel and Frank found them soaking wet, and hurried away to find blankets. They were like worried parents.

" _What_ in Hades are you doing? You could catch something out here!" Frank shook his head.

Hazel wrapped him and Piper up in blankets. "Go inside." She smiled that warm motherly smile. Hazel and Frank were like parents they never had. _Nope, go away depressing thought._

He was starting to feel cold. Technically it was a good thing, since if he felt numb it wouldn't be good. He was thankful Piper was here to cheer him up with her idiotic ideas. After all, isn't that what best friends do?

Leo and Piper strolled over to the Aphrodite cabin. When he walked in, he was blown away by the cabin's crazy decorations. Everything was a bright colour, every shade you can possibly imagine. Posters of celebrities were above each bed, and makeup was everywhere. A supermodel would be jealous.

He didn't understand why they had so many different shades of lipstick. Leo thought you only used red lipstick. Why blue? Why did they use blush? What if everyone thinks you like them because you made yourself look like your blushing? Why did they put a liquid mask on, called foundation? That was probably uncomfortable.

He couldn't imagine trying to concentrate in here. Everything was a mess, all the clutter and bright colours made his head hurt.

"I'm going to change." Said Piper.

He busied himself by examining the mountain of makeup. _No wonder girls have self-esteem issues._ Companies advertise all this coverage stuff to put on your skin. When he got his full of crazy colours, he went over to a desk full of little trinkets. He picked up a funny looking lipstick. He shouted in surprise as he touched one of the buttons, and a blade popped out. _Dangerous ladies._

What are you doing?" A girl stomped up to him and snatched the lipstick. She was ridiculously tall compaired to Leo. She had jet black hair and startling blue eyes that bore into his.

"I'm waiting for my friend."

The girl scowled. "When you wait, you don't go through others property. It's very rude."

"Sorry." Leo wished Piper would hurry up. This was really awkward.

The girl gava a little _humph_ and picked up a book and read. He tapped his fingers and whistled, but she completely ignored him. Where was the best friend to crush awkward situations when you needed them?

"Hey." Said Piper.

The girl perked her head up. "Wait. Piper Mclean? Oh my gods!" She sprung up and looked at Piper with wide eyes. "It's _such_ an honor to meet you. Your my idol, and you crushed _so_ many stereotypes of children of Aphrodite when you fought in the war!" She babbled excitedly. "I'm Maria."

What? How come he didn't have any fans? No fair.

Piper looked startled but took Maria's hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you. I'm Piper." _She already knows that idiot,_ thought Leo. "Right, you already..." Piper's face flushed embarrassingly.

But Maria's kept grinning. Piper's presence was enough to make her happy.

"Thank you! I'll see you around!" Maria scampered out of the cabin.

Leo chuckled. "Nice one Pipes."

Piper scofted. "Oh shut up."

"Hey! You two! We're sword fighting in 5." Percy grinned lopsidedly. "You should change first though."

Leo picked at his t-shirt that stuck to his chest. He was starting to regret swimming now.

"I'll meet you there" He said.

Leo walked outside and tried to hide in the blanket as the fall wind bit into his skin. It was like when you chew minty gum then breathe in through your mouth. But that's what it felt like all over.

He jogged into the Hephaestus cabin. He didn't have any clothes with him, so he borrowed someone elses. They wouldn't mind, right? He peeled the shirt off his chest and watched himself in the mirror. He was the same. Still had the scars, and the rough hands of an engineer. Still scrawny and short. It was a miracle a monster hasn't killed him by now. He looked so fragile.

Leo never was very good with swords. He was more of a thinker and a planner. His inventions were useful, but not always. Most of the time it's Percy and Jason who save the day.

He pulled on the warmest clothing he could find and headed towards the arena. He guessed he would be using a hammer since that was his strong suit. Or maybe they'll make it difficult and give him a sword he can't lift.

He spotted Jason infront of him. "Hey superman! What's up?"

"Don't call me superman." Jason tried to suppress his smile. "Ready?"

Leo groaned internally. "Of corse."

So far, his first days of the rest of his life sucked. He tried to tell himself it would get better, but right now it seemed to be getting worse. He would have to live through the bad to find the good. But a demigods life seemed to be filled with bad. He wished it would get better.

He really did.

 **This chapter is totally a filler. I'm not happy with it at all. Anyways, I don't know what I'm going to do for POV's. There's ten people going on the quest, and I originally planned to do ten POV's. Now I see that it's too much, but I don't know how many I should do. Obviously one POV will be Percy, who else?**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Percy

Everything went wrong quickly, but what can you expect? He was Percy Jackson. Honestly he should have known better.

His day started out by waking up and gazing at Annabeth's face for awhile. He couldn't seem to rip his eyes away. Everything was so perfect about her. Her radiant skin, to her pale blonde hair that was in ringlets. It made Percy's breath hitch, beacuse she just seemed to _glow._

Her eyes fluttered open, revealing her silver eyes. To call her eyes grey would be insulting them. They were silver, like a thousand stars were packed inside, to make her eyes twinkle. Bright and full of so much brillance, Percy could gaze into them for hours.

"Good morning." She slurred her words and yawned.

"Good morning to you too, Wise girl."

She leaned in for a kiss, before scrunching up her nose. "Nice morning breath Seaweed brain."

"I wouldn't be speaking." Percy raised his eyebrows.

Annabeth covered her mouth and glared at him. She curled back under the covers. It was weird how someone so tall, could curl up in the most fetal positions.

Percy had been awake for awhile now, so he just hopped out of bed.

"Get me breakfast." Mumbled Annabeth.

He pulled on jeans and one of the classic orange t-shirts. He missed them a lot, everything at Camp Halfblood was important to him, it was part of his childhood. Technically he was supposed to be 27. You could never tell though, he still looked 17, plus as Annabeth says "he acts very immature." He couldn't really argue with her.

As he stepped outside, he was greeted by Leo.

"Dam Percy! What moisturizer are you using? You haven't aged a day!"

"Neither have you Fireboy!"

Leo flailed his hands in the air, like he was saying _, seriously dude?_

"Fireboy? Not cool man."

Percy chuckled. "Your the one who insisted on calling me _aqua man."_

Leo grumbled insults under his breath.

"Percy! May I have a word?" Chiron walked over to them.

Percy nodded and followed him inside the big house. Chiron patted him in the back and smiled.

"It is good to have you back, Percy. Your loss was one that impacted many."

His mood dulled. Whenever he thought about death, it was like a storm cloud came over his head and blocked all the light.

Chiron sighed. His eyes betrayed his true age, revealing millennias of pain and wisdom. Chiron trained many great heroes, and watched almost all of them die in horrible ways. He must have hoped that some would live a long, happy life. But that was not the reality for Halfbloods.

"Sally and I have kept in touch. Sometimes she will visit Camp Halfblood, sadly not so much, since most of your friends have moved away. I can send you to New York today to visit her if you wish."

"Yes!" Percy grinned widely. His mom deserved the whole world, and she lost her only son. He would do anything to make that up to her.

In Chiron's hand, there sat a familiar ballpoint pen.

"Anaklusmos. Your one and only sword."

Chiron held it out to him. Percy took the pen with delight. Wow. He never really realised how much he had missed Riptide until he saw the sword again. It was always there, inside his pocket. It took so long in Elysium to get used to not having Riptide to rely on.

He uncapped the pen. When was the last time he had held Riptide? Memories of the battle in Athens came rushing back to him. There was no happy memories in Athens. Just death and sadness. But before he knew it, he was consumed in a flashback.

 _He stood facing Polybotes. Riptide was firm in his grasp, the sun glinted off the blade._

 _Polybotes sneered._

 _"It was a foolish thing for you to challenge me. There are no Gods to help you here, Son of Poisidon. You shall die at my hand."_

 _Percy charged, slashing towards Polybotes legs, but the giant simply side stepped, and swung his trident at Percy. He narrowly dodged, and quick as a fox, he managed to cut the back of Polybotes leg. He howled in pain, a look of fierce rage transformed his face._

 _Percy could use the giants anger against him, but it was risky. If Polybotes hit him with that trident, there was no garentee he would be able to get up._

"Percy!" Chiron's voice filled his head. Reality was at his fingertips, but he seemed to be slipping deeper and deeper into the flashback.

"Percy!" This time it was Annabeth's voice, full of panic and worry.

Percy gasped and breathed heavily. His eyes darted around the room, and he trembled like a leaf.

Annabeth's eyes were huge. She sighed in relief and grasped Percy's face in her hands. Their foreheads touched, and nothing else mattered in the world.

She ran her fingers through his hair, knowing this would calm him. The flashback had left him frail and battered. He had tried so hard to forget. But it was always there at the back of his mind, like a rock in his shoe. Impossible to ignore.

Percy's breathing was steady again. He still trembled, but managed to get to his feet.

"Come on, lets go get breakfast." Annabeth suggested.

Percy gripped her soft hand, and Chiron nodded in agreement.

Annabeth looked as shaken as he imagined himself to be. That was the thing about them, when one was hurt or sad, the other felt the same. Annabeth was part of his soul, and he was part of her's.

They headed towards the mess hall pavilion, and they sat down at the Poisidon table. A few campers glared at them for not sitting at their proper tables. Honestly, he could care less, by now he and Annabeth were inseparable.

He inhaled the food infront of him. Oh, how he loved food. Especially blue food, beacuse it reminded him of home. His stomach twisted when he thought if his mom. She had to live through her only son _dieing._ Now after ten years, he was going to show up on her doorstep and probably give her a heart attack.

He noticed how few demigods there were. Since it was October, it was normal to have less demigods in camp. But this was pathetic. Not counting the new arrivals, maybe 15? They wouldn't stand a chance fighting. And they all looked so young. No one here looked over 16, which was even more depressing.

Suddenly a scream pierced his ears. His head shot towards the sound, then finding a young girl sprinting away from the camp's boarders. She waved her hands in the air frantically, gesturing behind her.

With a terrible shattering sound, the boarders broke. The once invisible walls turned a light shade of blue, like broken glass. Then they dissappeared completely.

Percy shot to his feet, and uncapped Riptide. His eyes darted around, looking for any threats, but everything was quiet. It was the type of quiet that made him wary.

Quick as a thought, a spear was thrown through the air. It spiralled towards the girl and with alarming accuracy, pierced her back. He couldn't even warn her.

She dropped to the ground and did not move again.

Heartbroken cries filled his ears. One girl was being held back by someone, and she screamed and reached out. She struggled before collapsing in sobs.

Another spear was thrown through the air, and grazed his side. Percy could feel it move the air. It was impossible to throw that far. Annabeth gasped, and scrampled to him, checking him for wounds.

 _That was too close._

She found none. Annabeth gestured for everyone to follow her, away from the line of fire.

"What's the plan?" Percy crouched down beside her.

"We'll wait for them to come to us. It's our best chance to catch them by surprise."

She still looked unsure. It was their best chance, maybe they could pull it off. But none of these demigods here looked ready to fight. Sure they've probably been trained, but it's different when your fighting for your life.

Percy glanced around the corner. His jaw dropped as he saw the huge army infront of him. Humans and demigods mixed with monsters. They marched with confidence.

Just looking at the army, he knew this was a battle he would lose. The army outnumbered them at least 4 to 1.

"Annabeth..." He began.

"I know. But this is their home. They won't give up on it so easy."

"Look, if we don't leave, we'll be killed. Or worse." Jason snapped.

"We aren't leaving." A bulky boy said with a strong voice.

Percy was at a loss. They would lose if they fought, but some people here were too stubborn to leave.

Annabeth gave a small nod. "We need archers ready."

Frank and 3 others moved forwards and readied their bows. Percy guessed they were children of Apollo.

"On my mark." Annabeth began counting down with her fingers, waiting for the army to get in range.

" _Now!"_

Four arrows found their marks. Annabeth shouted again, and more bodies fell.

A man got a spear ready, aiming for the archers.

"Duck!" Percy screamed.

The spear narrowly missed Franks head. He did not seem fazed, and quickly fired an arrow into the man's breast.

Jason cleanched his fists, and a bolt of lightning struck the army. Hazel closed her eyes and concentrated on controlling the mist. Piper screamed things such as _miss"_ or _"forget_." Will rushed to a wounded Son of Ares. Reyna and Annabeth's orders motivated them, and Nico summoned skeletons from the ground. Chiron galloped over, and shot muliple arrows at once. Leo lit the tips of arrows and shot fireballs, and Frank never missed his mark.

They were all so powerful, yet they did not even realise.

Percy concentrated on water. A familar tug and his gut, and then water erupted from the ground. It blew men into the air, and they screamed.

"Get down!" Annabeth shouted, and Percy noticed the archers getting ready to fire. His heart hammered in his chest, and he pressed against the wall. The arrows narrowly missed him. Hazel wasn't so lucky.

An arrow was embedded in her shoulder. She groaned and cried in pain.

"Hazel!" Cried Frank frantically.

Will rushed over to them. "Don't pull it out! She needs to get to the infirmary." Will and Frank scooped her up and headed away quickly.

Luckily no one else was hurt. But the army was looming closer, and their numbers were already dwindling.

"Fall back!" Reyna commanded.

They sprinted towards the nearest cover. Percy could hear the shouts of the army, they were ready for bloodshed.

"We are retreating. There is nothing we can do." Reyna's face hid all emotion.

"But-"

"Matt! You will listen to her." Interrupted Chiron.

"Go!" Annabeth began to run, looking behind Percy with wide eyes.

Percy glanced behind, and regretted doing so. The army looked about 20 paces away, and they spotted them.

They charged with glee. Percy felt like a coward running, but he knew it was the only way.

He headed towards the infirmary, to warn his friends.

He burst in and found Will humming words in Ancient Greek, a hymn to Apollo. Hazel's shoulder was already healing. One other demigod lay on one of the beds resting.

Percy gasped for air. "W-we're leaving. _Now._ "

Will hastily applied bandges to Hazel's shoulder, and helped the other demigod.

They ran out of the infirmary, heading towards the woods. Percy couldn't see Annabeth or the others anywhere. But they didn't make it very far.

"Don't leave just yet Perseus."

Percy was thrown through the air, and with a sickening crack, his head smashed against the ground. The last thing he remembered was Medea standing over him, smiling cruelly.

Then he slipped into unconsciousness.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Annabeth

Annabeth was relieved when she reached the forest, but when she looked around for a familiar pair of sea green eyes, he wasn't there. Neither was Frank, Hazel, or Will. She cursed herself for realising sooner. Complete silence filled her ears, the only sound was the whistling wind. It was like a cold fist had closed over her heart, chilling her whole body. She almost felt like she was going to throw up.

"Percy?" She knew it was useless, her brain was telling her that Percy wasn't here, but her heart was desperately searching for him, hoping he'll reply. She stumbled forward, and peeked her head out of the dense forest. She felt sick to her stomach with worry, her breathing was short and panicy.

It wasn't hard to spot him. He lay motionless on the ground, a pool of blood seeping out of his skull. His hair was matted with the dark red liquid. He almost looked peaceful, like he was just sleeping, but to Annabeth, it made him look haunting. She opened her mouth the scream, but it was muffled by Piper's hand.

" _Quiet._ " Piper hissed into her ear.

Annabeth ripped her eyes away from Percy, and saw a scout from Medea's army close by. He carried a menacing spatha, which was one of the longest swords that existed. His expression was down right _scary._ His eyes were dark and wild, with bushy eyebrows. His mouth was twisted in what seemed to be a permanent sneer, his teeth almost looked sharp. Just by the way he walked, he seemed arrogant. The man was strongly built, and extremely tall. He could no doubt snap her neck with a flick of his wrist.

She darted behind an old oak, and pressed herself against the rough bark, she did not dare breathe. She could hear the footsteps of the man stop, right infront of her tree. Everything seemed to have no sound, like the world was holding it's breath in anticipation. Finally, the man huffed, and continued to walk.

Annabeth couldn't wait any longer. She glanced towards Percy again. He still layed where he was moments before, but he looked deathly pale. His raven hair fell into his closed eyes, standing out like blood on snow against his skin. A tear trickled down her cheek, she angrily wiped it away. She shook her head. Percy's couldn't be dead. He can't. He-

"What do we do?" Piper asked softly.

She didn't know yet. She needed time to think, being put under pressure never made things easier. It just made your plans more dangerous and desperate, often resulting in someone getting hurt.

To make things worse, Frank, Hazel, Will, and what she reconized as a Son of Ares, were getting tied up and tormented. Medea gave what Annabeth imagined to be a perfect evil laugh. She waved her sword around, to one if her friend's throats to the other. When she got bored of this, she kneeled beside Percy, and placed her fingers to his neck.

Medea cackled, and danced over to her friends. Frank looked like he was going to throw up, Hazel lowered her head and shook. Will didn't seem to be able to register what Medea said, he stared at her, waiting for her to say more.

Her brain seemed to be piecing together the evidence. She couldn't, she _wouldn't_ believe it. He can't be dead, it was impossible, it's not _real._ She hoped this was all a horrible dream, and soon she would wake, with Percy whispering it wasn't real. Because it _can't._

No, Percy wasn't dead, she wouldn't believe it. She wasn't going to believe the words of a lieing witch.

Her sadness dissolved into burning rage. She would kill Medea. For doing this, for hurting her _friends_. The witch would pay.

She wracked her mind for any ideas. Would they try to fight head on? No, they would be obliterated. They would have to use trickery and wit, after all, she's been saved countless times by outsmarting her enemies instead of using strength. If Hazel was here, she could use the mist and trick Medea. Piper could charmspeak, although it's not the best thing to rely on. Percy's life was draining away by the second, his skin was looking more grey, and there was an alarming amount of blood staining the ground. They didn't have anymore time, she would just have to make do.

"Use your powers, trick her in any way you can. We need to get our friends and get out. Understand?"

Everyone gave a curt nod. Piper was already making a move on the army. Piper stepped out of the woods, with her hands up. "Don't shoot! I'm on your side!" She used her charmspeak, her words silvery and powerful. Annabeth felt a warm feeling spread through her chest, the effects from Piper's charmspeak. She strolled forward, the men had glazed expressions, they didn't look so scary when they were drooling. Even Medea was fooled.

That didn't last for long. Medea shook her head rapidly, and realised what was happening. "What are you doing you _fools!_ Kill her!" Medea screamed.

One of the men readied a spear, but he stood no chance. Jason was already summoning lightning, hitting the man straight in the chest. His body smoked and twitched on the ground. The blast had knocked down a good portion of the army, it was Annabeth's chance.

"Go!" She sprung out of the forest and sprinted towards Percy. Everything erupted in complete chaos. Frank transformed into a grizzly bear, and swatted away people like they were flies. Hazel summoned a cloud of mist, which circled Medea's head, holding her off for now.

Annabeth dropped to her knees at Percy's side. She pressed her trembling hands to his neck, searching for a sign of life. It was impossible to describe the relief she felt, as a weak pulse touched her fingers. She kissed his hand, and let out a dry laugh. Of corse, Percy was incredibly stubborn, he wasn't going anywhere.

"Is he-" Will's eyes were like saucers.

"He's alive. Get him away from here, I'll cover you." Annabeth helped Will haul Percy up, and into a fireman's carry. They hobbled away, towards the cover of the trees.

She felt a fire light up inside of her. Determination and fury fueled her, as she took Riptide. She marched forward, slicing through bodies. She ignored their faces, only focused on killing. Her vision was red with rage, and buzzing filled her ears. The only thing she acknowledged, was her _anger._ They needed to pay, all of them, and death seemed like a good punishment. Some men ran from her, _cowards,_ she thought. She yelled in defiance, stabbing and slicing, each wound fatal. She spun like a whirlwind, like a goddess. Against Annabeth Chase, they were goners.

Soon Reyna joined her, fighting with as much fury as Annabeth. Thunder crackled through the air, making her ears ring. She cut through the army with ease, but it would only last so long. Once they got in formation, she would be surrounded.

"Annabeth, stop! We have to go!" Annabeth ignored Piper's pleading. "Annabeth! _Please!"_ Piper begged, gripping Annabeth's shoulder.

She turned around, looking into Piper's eyes. They were filled with fear, fear of losing Annabeth, and fear of fighting against something that would ultimately end up in her death. Annabeth broke. She gave a small nod, Piper held her hand and led her away from the destruction she had caused. She felt so disoriented, and shocked with what she had just did. It didn't seem like she was in control of her actions, like it was a dream.

The others were waiting for them at the edge of the forest. They shouted and waved frantically. Reyna ran beside Annabeth, she noticed how Reyna was covered in blood. _Oh Gods._

Reyna seemed to be running with ease. Her shirt was soaked with blood, she wouldn't be running if she had a wound of that size. Annabeth studied the splatters, and realised it wasn't Reyna's blood. It was the blood of the unfortunate men and monsters, who met her sword. Was that how Annabeth looked?

Finally, they broke through the trees. Nico's eyes widened. "Is that your blood?" He asked.

"No." She said coldly.

An awkward silence filled the forest. The only sound was the leaves brustling in the crisp wind, and the chirping of birds.

Suddenly, a bright light blinded Annabeth. She adverted her eyes, an intense heat made her feel like her face was burning off. Then it faded away, and the cool fall breeze resumed. She looked cautiously, and saw a red convertible Maserati Spyder. The only reason she knew the name was because Percy mentioned it constantly, it was his dream car.

A guy stepped out of the car, with sandy blond hair, and copper skin. It was the sun god, Apollo himself. Her heart clenched as she thought of Luke. Apollo looked astoundingly similar to her old crush.

"Ah! My most favourite demigods! Nice seeing you again." Apollo flashed his dazzling white teeth. He strolled forward, and glanced around, "Where is Percy?"

Annabeth turned her head towards Percy's limp body, with Will holding a piece of fabric to the back of his head, to try and quench the bleeding.

"Yikes. Already got into trouble? That was quick." Said Apollo. "I can heal it I suppose." Apollo gingerly placed a hand to Percy's head, and spoke words she could not catch. Immediately the colour returned to Percy's face, making him look more lush and and healthier then before. He smiled softly in his sleep.

"Good as new! Now my friends, you probably need a ride out of here, you know, before we get trampled by that retarded army." Apollo patted Will on the back, smiling fondly. "Behold!"

The car transformed into a fancy looking bus, enough room for all of them. Apollo flared his hands in the air dramatically.

"Thank you lord Apollo," Annabeth bowed respectively. The others were in shocked silence.

They all climbed onto the bus, Annabeth propped Percy up against her shoulder. Percy groaned and shifted in his sleep, cuddling closer to Annabeth. She couldn't help but smile, Percy was adorable.

Apollo took the wheel, and the bus shot into the sky. She remembered Percy telling her about when Thalia drove the sun, there was only one word to describe it: a disaster.

Her heart ached as she thought about Thalia. She hoped she would meet her friend soon, and happily reunite. Even Grover wasn't at camp, which was very odd. All her old friends, had moved away and started lives, they moved on. Rachel had left too. She smirked as she remembered their quarrels, how Annabeth got extremely jealous over Percy. It seemed so silly now.

Percy's eyes fluttered open. He gazed around, realised where he was, and jumped up in confusion. Well, tried to. As soon as he tried to move, he plopped back down and clutched his head.

"Ow." Percy scowled. "What-"

He was interruped by her hug. She buried her chin in his shoulder, she smiled cheek to cheek.

"Don't _ever_ do that again." She said firmly.

Percy rubbed her back tentatively. "I don't know what I did exactly, but ok."

Annabeth laughed and hugged him tighter. She drunk in his presence, she wouldn't know what to do without him. Oh, how she loved her Seaweed Brain.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Reyna

Reyna's heart ached as she watched the numerous couples together. Jason and Piper, they worked so well with eachother. It hurt... because Jason was once her best friend, then he left, and now they barely talked anymore. She was strong and capable, yet she felt empty as she watched Jason. It was silly how something that happened so long ago, still affected her like this. Her crush on Jason has long since disappeared, but the subject was still touchy. If she never found love, would that be such a bad thing?

Honestly, she didn't want anyone to _own_ her. She didn't want to rely on love, because love is unpredictable and dangerous. Love was also something that she wished to taste. She was strong without love, but what if love made her stronger? She didn't know the answers to these questions, because she had never been in love. There was a few crushes, that was not love.

Maybe if she could get out of this cycle of questions, she could join the Amazons. It wouldn't hurt to see her sister again. But, she didn't know if she could leave her friends. Idiots they may be, there was a special place in her heart reserved for them. Maybe one day, love would find her. Where she did not hope, or wish for it to be, she didn't care. The Gods sayings could have an infinite number of meanings, that was the annoying thing about it. Whenever she thought about it, she kept asking the same questions, and got the same answers, and ending up at the _same_ dead end.

Instead of thinking about all that nonsense, Reyna distracted herself by gazing out the window. She had learned to always appreciate the little things, being a demigod and all, she should try to make the most of the little time she had. How the sun glinted through the different coloured leaves, something most would not notice. The odd array of colours on the trees was fascinating to her. Since she grew up in Puerto Rico, she had never seen the bizzare fall weather. The leaves was a surprise to her when she first saw them. Maybe she would even witness the first snowfall of the year.

She jumped as Nico suddenly sat down beside her. She smiled softly, as she remembered Nico's appearance during the war. He always had an emotionless face, reminding him of her. He was pale and skinny, his eyes seemed lifeless. Now, the change was huge. His complexion held more life, with flushed cheeks and freckles which were sprinkled over his nose. His whole aura had changed. His eyes glinted with happiness and love, as a child's should. He still was scrawny, but that was his advantage while fighting. Monsters may believe he was weak, but they soon found out they were wrong, after Nico absolutely _pulverized_ them.

"What's up?" Nico slouched down in his seat, and crossed his legs.

"Thinking."

Nico frowned as he read her expression, "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. I'm just sick of all this." She waved her hand in the air, gesturing to everything. "Double meanings. The Gods themselves. Being a demigod."

Nico sighed. "Me too." He leaned his head back, scowling.

"You know what? Screw the Gods." Reyna stuck her chin in the air. They could try and kill her speaking such an insult. Reyna _was_ going on a quest to save the world. It they killed her, the Gods would have to fix their problems themselves. Of corse, they _couldn't_ do that, could they?

Thunder rumbled dangerously overhead. Nico's eyes widened, he stared at her in disbelief. Slowly he started to grin, then laugh. "I have to agree." He kept his voice low and smirked.

She could imagine their scandalized expressions right now. She couldn't help but be satisfied. It was kind of childish, but it felt good to have some power. She was a praetor of the twelfth legion, she knew about power. She never really got the chance to be a rebellious teenager, she never had the guts to fight with a God. Saying " _screw the Gods"_ wasn't really a rebellious act in some teen's books. But it still felt good.

She cracked up. When Nico laughed, you kind of have to laugh with him. His laugh is contagious, the best kind.

"I heard that, Reyna Avila Ramirez Arellano!" Reyna scowled as she heard her full name. Of corse, it was Apollo who spoke. Apollo frowned, but he didn't look murderous. She always Apollo was one of the more tolerable Gods, not so much now. Heads turned her way. Some from Camp Half-blood looked shocked. Her friends on the other hand, snickered and smirked at her, like annoying siblings.

Reyna rolled her eyes. An uneasy feeling crowded her senses as she thought of the quest. The prophecy-the next great prophecy, seemed quite morbid. The lines could have many meanings, but almost all weren't good. She remembered the lines of the prophecy: _On the mountain's slopes, wisdom shall lose all hope. For the bane of the sea lights the way, stuck in endless darkness he shall pay. At her end it is love that destroys her, and the innocent will lose what they once were._

She turned towards Nico. "The prophecy. I think I know what some of it means." She said eagerly.

She had his attention. _"Wisdom shall lose all hope._ Maybe "wisdom" is Athena, or Annabeth."

Nico nodded vigorously. " _The bane of the sea lights the way._ Bane means burden, or pain, misfortune etc. The sea... that could mean Percy."

Reyna ignored the growing feeling of unease on her stomach. That line could have many meanings, all did not sound good. _Bane_ was not a happy word. And the sea, it could mean Poisidon himself, but the son of Poisidon was also an equal candidate.

The others were joining in on their conversation. " _Stuck in endless darkness he shall pay._ " Annabeth repeated the line grimly. "Endless darkness, that could be the underworld, or maybe underground, Tartarus..." Her voice cracked as she said the last word.

"You know, this prophecy is probably the most unoptimistic one I've ever heard." Added Leo.

 _"At her end, it's love that destroys her."_ Spoke Piper gravely. "Love kills someone, love breaks someone."

" _Or_ looking on the bright side of things, Aphrodite kills someone!" Said Frank.

Will sighed. " _The innocent will lose what they once were._ That line is unsettling."

"What does it mean? Killed? Possessed? Changed?" Rambled Jason.

"The innocent. It could mean something happens to them, and they change. Maybe torture or..." Annabeth closed her eyes and grimaced. "Whatever happens to them, they're innocent. Which means someone gets punished unfairly."

Percy bit his nails. "Where's the time limit?"

"Maybe for _once,_ there isn't one! We can take our sweet time!" Leo bounced in his seat, grinning mischievously.

"We'll get one soon I'm sure." Said Hazel.

"Technically since Medea took Camp Halfblood already, and is most likely heading to New Rome, we will have to stop her as soon as possible."

"Why thank you Annabeth. I knew there was a time limit somewhere!" The sarcasm dripped off Percy's words.

"When do you think-" Frank was cut short as Chiron wheeled his wheelchair over.

Reyna was startled by Chiron. It was odd for her to get used to Chiron not in his usual form. The wheelchair was magic, but her mind had to short circuit to fully understand that Chiron could actually fit inside.

"The God's have determined the location of Medea's power, Mount Othrys in Greece. They believe that you must travel there and cut off her power source."

Annabeth tried to hide a proud smile. She was the one who had mentioned Mount Othrys in the first place. It would not surprise Reyna if the Gods had been listening in.

The mood dulled. Their last trip to Greece was a disaster. She remembered how she traveled across the Atlantic alone, and the death of her Pegasus. The place was one of the most dangerous places for a demigod. With monsters around every corner, they were on constant alert, and a trip across the Atlantic could take double the time, with all the enemies stalling them. To make matters worse, awful memories were tied to that place. It was where some of her friends died brutally, going back would only cause pain.

"It will be worth it in the long run guys." Reassured Frank.

"I'm not so sure anymore." Nico murmured. His expression was that of defeat. More then anything she wanted to comfort him, she just didn't know how. Everyone seemed to be pondering what he had said, no one moved to disagree with him.

"Thank you, sir." Percy said flatly. Chiron smiled sadly, then left them alone.

Silence stained the air around them. Reyna pressed her lips together. Her friends, they deserved the world and more. After all the pain and horrible things they have went through, they were going to go through _more_ of that. It seemed that a demigods life was filled with fighting, until you meet your grusume end. For most, that was it. But for them, they came back and now they are fighting again. All because of the _chance_ of a normal life. The Gods could easily put them back after they did their dirty work. That's what worried her the most, that nothing would change. The Gods can control them, and it was a dangerous thing to let someone control you.

Finally, Apollo announced that they were landing. The bus came to a stuttering stop, then lowered itself through the air. She watched in fascination as the surrounding trees seemed to bend out of the way, curving, and making room for them to land.

She got to her feet, anxious to stretch her long legs. Her muscles protested at the sudden movement, they were cramped from the long flight. She bowed curtly to Apollo, and climbed out of the bus. She froze as she saw the figure infront of her, Artemis herself.

This was no doubt the greek goddess of the hunt. Her auburn hair, a mix of red and gold, was tied back in a smooth ponytail. Her expression was much more mature and confident then a normal 13 year old's. Her eyes refected a perfect image of the moon. Artemis was beautiful, not at all as mortals think beautiful is like. Like all goddesses, she was litteral perfection. Reyna got down on one knee.

"Lady Artemis." She lowered her gaze respectively.

"You may rise, young demigod." The goddess said.

Reyna climbed to her feet. She was astounded to find Artemis watching her with respect. She met Artemis's silver and yellow eyes, and withered under her gaze. The goddess had a gaze of such intensity, that she struggled not to look away.

"Thalia?" Annabeth voice was faint and filled with disbelief.

Reyna turned her head towards one of the hunters. She had ivory skin, and short black hair, which reminded her of feathers. Under her hunter's uniform, she wore a top with a skull on the front. She had chains attached to her dark jeans. The black eyeliner made her electric blue eyes stand out even more.

Thalia stood frozen, with her mouth agape. Her eyes widened, she swayed on her feet. Her disbelief turned to pure joy, then she surged towards Annabeth. They collided in a tight hug, now both crying.

"Oh my gods, you're-" Thalia didn't bother the finish her sentence, she just clutched Annabeth, hugging her tighter, like she was making sure this was real. They fell to the ground, sobbing quietly.

"Annabeth..." Thalia whispered her name, she said it with so much love and awe, it almost made Reyna cry. She could watch the reunion for hours, she didn't seem to comprehend how someone could love someone that much. Maybe, true love wasn't finding a partner. Friendship is something just as complex and beautiful.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Hazel

Hazel felt nothing less then awkward as she witnessed Annabeth's and Thalia's reunion. She felt like she was intruding, like she was peeking through the keyhole into someone else's life. In Elysium Annabeth would talk about Thalia and Luke, she knew lots about Annabeth's friend. But hearing her talk about Thalia wasn't the same as actually seeing her in person. To be honest, Thalia looked quite intimidating. All children of Zeus seemed to have a permanent brooding look, but once she got to know Jason, he turned out to be a big baby. Thalia on the other hand, looked almost as intimidating as Reyna.

She turned her head towards Frank. He didn't look anymore comfortable then her. He shuffled his feet, and his eyes darted around, unsure where to look.

The hunters of Artemis were an interesting bunch. It was weird to see the immortal goddess of the hunt the same age as her. Artemis had lived through countless millenias, but she still chose to take the form of a 13 year old girl. The rest of the hunters were around the same age, their appearances were the most interesting, they seemed to radiate power, like her friends. But there was something different, their skin was too silver, or the divine way they carried themselves, made them look inhuman in a beautiful way.

"Sister! Forever since I've seen you!" Apollo climbed out of the bus and spread his arms, obviously waiting for a hug. He didn't get one.

Artemis nodded briefly, "what are all these demigods doing here, brother?"

"Camp Halfblood was overrun. I was simply passing by when I saw, so I gave them a ride."

"Zeus will be angry with you. You're already on his bad side." Warned Artemis.

"Yeah, yeah." Apollo waved his hand in the air nonchalantly. "I was thinking you would do them a favor, and bring them to one of your secret hideouts."

"I should not interfere with the affairs of demigods. My hunters can escort you to safety if you wish." Said Artemis.

Hazel knew that she would not be going to safety. They had to set out for their quest. Her nerves spiked as she thought about it. The illusion of happiness in Elysium seemed so far away now, and more then anything she just wanted to be there again. She wasn't scared of fighting. She was scared of dieing. Twice now, she had died, and to die agian...she wouldn't know if she could survive it. All the despair and dread that comes with dieing would pile up, and destroy her.

Some of the campers shuffled forwards. Hazel watched Annabeth, a little part of her hoped Annabeth would decide to postpone the quest, even for a little while. But she didn't move forward with the rest of the campers.

"Annabeth?" Thalia furrowed her eyebrows.

"Thalia...we're going to Greece. We have to go." Annabeth couldn't meet her friend's eyes.

"What do you mean?" Said Thalia.

"To come back, there was a price. We have to go on a quest to stop Medea." Replied Annabeth. "It was the only way."

As Thalia listened to Annabeth's words, she looked close to crying. Then she quickly covered it up, her features transforming. Her eyes glowed dangerously, and her lip curled. Her hair stood up from the electricity in the air.

"No! You just-you...it's not fair!" She stuttered.

"Fair?" Annabeth whispered, "nothing is fair Thalia."

She looked utterly defeated. "You-you can't go. You _just_ came back." Hazel barely caught her words they were so soft.

"I'll come back." Annabeth looked like she was reassuring herself more then Thalia.

Thalia squeezed her eyes shut. "You _better._ And kelp for brains? You better come back too." She turned towards Percy and glared at him.

"Sure _pinecone face_ Percy mocked.

Thalia narrowed her eyes at Percy. For a second she looked like she was about to attack him, then her lip twitched into a half smile. "Shut up." Then she turned towards Jason and smiled softly. "Nice to see you little brother."

"You too," Jason shuffled his feet uncertainly.

"Com'ere you." Thalia gave Jason a bear hug. "You be careful, ok? Promise me." She said shakily.

"I promise." Jason murmured.

Thalia buried her face in Jason's chest. Her lip trembled as she moved away from Jason, but it was barely noticable. "Keep them safe Nico."

"I will." Nico breathed.

Thalia looked satisfied. It obviously pained her to leave them behind, but she had no choice. Hazel never knew Thalia, but she noticed that Thalia had a deep connection with Annabeth and Jason. Leaving them after reuniting a few minutes before was incredibly unfair.

"When are you..." Thalia started.

"Today. All we have to do is get supplies." Said Annabeth.

Artemis signaled to two of her hunters. "We have all the necessary supplies for your quest." Two young girls brought bags filled with everything they needed, clothes, ambrosia, water, even some food.

"Thank you Lady Artemis." Annabeth took the bags greatfully.

"Probably should go now. So long my friends!" Apollo waved goodbye. "Oh, and Percy? Don't let her get to you." He smiled good-naturedly, then left.

"What?" Asked Percy. He shook his head and pinched his nose when he got no answer back.

"I shall be leaving too. I trust my hunters to bring you to safety." Artemis then disappeared into thin air.

That left them to say their last goodbyes. Some of the campers wished them luck and waved goodbye, while Thalia studied the ground.

"You're the strongest demigods I've ever known." Began Thalia. "If anyone can stop Medea, it's you. You're strong, and brave, you all have someone to fight for. And you will come back, and I will fight tooth and nail to make sure you get the lives you deserve."

Annabeth began to cry again. "I love you Thalia."

Thalia looked on the verge of tears. "N-no need to say goodbye. This isn't goodbye."

"I'll be back soon." Jason gave Thalia one last quick hug.

Percy smiled at Thalia. Then she wrapped Percy in a fierce hug. "Don't do anything stupid kelp head."

"C'mon Thalia. I'm made of stupid ideas."

Thalia rolled her eyes, and shook Reyna's hand, "I feel a little better that you'll be there with them."

"Don't worry. I'll take good care of them." Replied Reyna.

Thalia started backing away. She smiled sadly, then disappeared into the trees. Hazel bit her lip. Seeing all this, how much they all meant to eachother, made her heart hurt. If they weren't demigods, they would have just passed eachother on the streets. Now they meant everything to her. The word _friends_ didn't really describe them. They were family. Each one of them was part of her soul. Hazel would make sure that they came back. They would live a happy life, any other option seemed unthinkable.

"Well..." Reyna said.

"Where do we even start?" Asked Piper.

"We should get a boat, I wish we had the Argoll." Leo fiddled with some bolts and washers from his toolbelt.

"I want to see my mom before we leave." Said Percy softly.

Hazel regarded Percy with surprise. She has heard of Sally before, in Elysium almost all they had to do was tell stories. Percy's mom seemed incredible and sweet from the way Percy described her. She understood that Percy wanted to see her again. He might not get another chance.

Annabeth wrapped an arm around Percy's shoulders. Hazel noticed that Annabeth was only about an inch shorter then Percy, and both of them were very tall. "She deserves to see you again."

"I know." Percy mumbled.

"Where are we anyway?" Leo snorted. "Nice. We failed to ask _where_ Apollo flew us to."

Annabeth held up a finger. "Actually, we flew over New York a minute before we landed."

"We're probably in a patch of forest. As far as I know, there's barely any trees around New York, so we'll just walk." Said Frank.

Hazel slung a bag over her shoulder. She gave Frank's hand a reassuring squeeze, and leaned her head against his broad shoulder. Her lip twitched into a smile, which felt weird. It was like she was dangling over the open jaws of a monster, inches away from it's sharp teeth. Yet she was smiling. She guessed she was used to the dangerous demigod life, she could smile even if thousands of poisonous thoughts were swirling around in her mind.

Hazel always enjoyed a walk through the forest. The leaves crackled and crunched under her sneakers, and the lazy fall sunlight barely filtered through the trees. The colourful leaves drifted away in the wind, then joining the rest of them on the ground.

After a few minutes of walking, they broke through the trees. The fresh earthy smell was immediately replaced by the polluted New York smell. It made her wrinkle her nose in disgust. She remembered being close to this place a few days ago, and feeling indescribable happiness. Now she just felt exhausted. She was now rethinking coming back. She really wanted to squash the doubt, but it seemed that they were going in circles. Or at least she was.

Dieing and coming back two times. Each time she went out fighting. Both times stopping Gaea. Would she die again by stopping Medea? Her life seemed to be one big joke. She kept making the same mistakes, and it was killing her.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Percy

Percy tightened his hand around Annabeth's. After ten years, he had expected New York to change, but this was crazy. The buildings were so tall, he worried they would topple over, the thought of them wobbling in the wind made his stomach twist. They nearly covered the sky. There were more people, which threw him off balance. Sure, he's grown up in New York, you would think navigating crowds would be a second nature. This was almost ridiculous. Everyone hurried and bustled about, carelessly shoving him out of the way. He bit his tongue to stop himself from cursing as people constantly bumped into him.

He turned his head towards his friends. It was probably worse for someone who's never been in a crazy mob before, and he was right. Annabeth muttered apologies as she bumped into people, but soon she got too exasperated to say anything. She cut threw the crowd with determination, her eyes fiery, she chewed her lip and glared. Percy's heart did a somersault as he witnessed Annabeth struggle not to punch people. She was scary when she was irritated, but she was downright _terrifying_ when she's mad. He felt bad for the person on the receiving end of the glare.

He raised his eyebrows as he heard Latin curses behind him. He was even more surprised once he found out it was _Hazel_ who was saying them. She only cursed when she was ready to murder someone, and looking at her now, she looked close to doing just that.

" _Pu_ _dor tu_ ," Hazel hissed.

Percy snickered at Frank's scandalized face. He couldn't understand Latin perfectly, but he understood a few words. He always thought it was funny how people thought of Hazel as a sweet goody two shoes, but she was so much more then that. She is kind, but also daring and wise. She _was_ the oldest one here.

The one who was having the most trouble was probably Leo. He just wasn't that intimidating, no matter how hard he tries. His hight was probably one of the factors, and his elfish features made him look mischievous, but not dangerous. To add onto that, he was pretty scrawny. He muttered under his breath, and he started to smoke.

"Uh, Leo, you're smoking."

Leo smirked, "I _know_ I'm smoking Percy, thanks for pointing that out."

"No, you're litterally smoking. There's--you're hair is on _fire!"_ Percy yelped.

Leo covered his hair and wacked it frantically. It must have looked funny to the mortals, he wondered if they could see the fire.

"I hate when that happens," Leo pouted.

"Remember back on our first quest, when you got really excited, and there was smoke coming out of your ears?" Jason smiled wistfully.

"That was when I realised I was nuts," Leo replied.

"Please, you've been nuts all along," said Piper.

"By now I'm more like insane, Beauty Queen."

"Do you know how to find your mom Percy?" Asked Annabeth.

"I was thinking we could try my old apartment, or Iris message her." He glared at somone who pushed inbetween them, breaking their hands apart.

" _Anyways_ ," Annabeth huffed. "We could find an alley and Iris message Sally, then find out where she is."

"How would we make a rainbow in an alley?" he questioned.

"Water bottles, and light."

"Right." He shook his head, Annabeth was good at making people sound stupid, especially him.

New York wasn't a pretty city. Some people like the huge crowds and the city life in general. He liked the city, but Camp Halfblood was better in his opinion. New York was always gross in the fall and winter, the bad weather mixed with the pollution made it a overall unlikable place.

They turned into a narrow alley between two giant skyscrapers. He felt a prickle of unease as he noticed his surroundings. Allies were the perfect place for delinquents and thugs to hang out, and he felt oddly open here. Since he grew up in New York, he had learned to avoid the bad places.

He remembered walking home from school, when he was around nine. Living in a "bad neighborhood" meant he had to cross through the dangerous parts of New York. Being the adventurous kid he was, he decided he would take a different, and quicker route home. Traveling through the confusing maze of streets ultimately got him lost, and while he was wandering around, he came across a fight. One guy held a bloodied and bruised body in his arms, while the other hit him repeatedly.

 _"Where is it!" he screeched, then_ _throwing another punch into the man's gut._

 _"I-I don't know! Please!_ _The man gasped as a fist cracked agianst his jaw. He spat out blood and whimpered._

 _By now, Percy had began to back away. He watched with wide eyes suddenly wishing to go home. He wanted to go home so badly, he was scared out of his mind._

 _The men turned their heads towards him. "Hey kid!"_

 _Percy sprinted away, not even bothering to look back. His breathing was wobbly and uneaven, but his fear fueled him as he sprinted all the way back to his apartment._

 _"Mom!" He jumped into her arms, and started to cry. He explained what happened hurriedly, his mom wrapped him in another hug._

 _"I'm sorry you had to see that honey." She gripped his shoulders and gave him a sturn look. "Percy, listen to me. There's some bad people out there, especially around here. You need to be extra careful, maybe I should pick you up from school from now on, sweetie."_

 _He shook his head rapidly. "No mom, you're too busy already. I can be safe. I'll be like a ninja."_

 _She laughed dryly. "Well I know you're the best ninja there is. Promise me you will be more careful, alright?"_

 _"Of corse mom."_

Percy sighed. Now look at him, brushing with death almost every day. He actually died. He imagined his mom, collapsing in grief once she found out her only son was dead. Her _crying_ because of him. He slouched and leaned agianst the brick wall. His mom lost her parents in a plane crash, and she lost her son to a war. He hated to think about it, he just got frustrated. It wasn't fair, and he couldn't do anything about it.

 _Curse the fates,_ he thought. That was a stupid thing to say, but they were the ones to blame. He wanted to punch a wall, just let his anger out. Maybe scream a little. Instead, he turned towards Annabeth, and gave his best try at a smile. She frowned for a second, but then smiled comfortingly.

"Ready?" She tossed a drachma towards him, then grabbing a water bottle, spraying the mist into the light. The remaining afternoon sun filtered through the mist and broke into colours.

"O goddess, accept our offering." Percy threw the drachma into rainbow.

"East one-hundred-and-forth and first," he requested.

Sure enough, the raindow shimmered, revealing his old apartment on the Upper East Side.

His breath caugh in his chest. His mom had her back to him, she was working away at the dishes. Her hair was streaked with grey, and she hummed to herself.

He wanted to scream, get her to turn around. He wanted to see her face and smile with her, he wanted to apologize. Yet he hesitated. Something about this didn't feel right. To show up after 10 years, and not even _in person_ , made him feel gulity. His mom would probably freak out if she saw him, floating in her kitchen.

The connection wasn't very good, Annabeth pumped the water bottle rapidly to make the rainbow. He needed to hurry if he wanted to talk to her, but he was still frozen.

"Mommy!" A little girl ran into his mom's arms. She looked around five, with chocolate brown hair, and honey coloured eyes. Her head turned towards him, she watched him with curiosity and wonder. Her mouth opened in a silent "o."

Percy cut his hand through the rainbow. He couldn't do this.

Annabeth's eyes were filled with concern, "Percy?"

He grimaced, "I-I couldn't do it. I have to see her in person."

"That was your old apartment, right?" Annabeth spoke gently.

"Yeah-yeah it was."

Annabeth squeezed his hand, "come on, let's go."

He took a deep breath and walked out of the alley. His heart was beating so fast, he felt like it was going to stop, due to overusing it. He hated when he could feel his own heartbeat pulsing in his ears. It was very unsettling. Plus, it made him more stressed out then he already was. His hands were clammy and probably felt gross in Annabeth's, and cold sweat dripped down the back of his neck.

His mind raced with one important question. _Who was that little girl?_ She had called Sally "mommy" did that mean his mom had another kid? Did he have a _sister?_ He rubbed the back of his neck unconsciously.

 _He had a sister._

He wasn't there when she was born.

He didn't even know her name.

Frustration, guilt, and bitterness caused hot tears to form in his eyes. He angrily blinked them away, and turned his head away from the others. When did his life get so messed up? His nails cut his palms, and he bit the inside of his cheek, causing blood to leak from his wounds. His anger built, and every time he wanted to yell, he just pressed his nails harder into his palms.

Annabeth brushed her hand against his. Her silver eyes gleamed with compassion, and worry. She didn't say anything, and he loved her for that. Words couldn't calm him down, he had to work through this himself. He took a deep breath, and repressed his emotions. Instead he focused on Annabeth.

Her eyes were silver, and full of wisdom. In his opinion, they held more intelligence then Athena herself. But Annabeth wasn't her mother. Athena's eyes never held emotion, and Annabeth's did. They glittered with love when their eyes met. Her copper skin met with her pale blonde hair, it fell in loose curls framing her face. Her sharp cheekbones and narrow cat-like eyes were intimidating, and her jaw was always set with determination. Her pink lush lips made his heart flutter.

Beautiful didn't seem to be the word to describe her. Everything about her was extraordinary. His love for her made his heart roar.

"I need you to know," he murmured. "That you're the best thing that has ever happened to me. You're the light of my life, and I'll never stop loving you. You make my life the best it could ever be."

Annabeth was rendered speechless. Her cheeks were flushed bright red, and her eyes were huge. She ducked her head and smiled. "Gods Percy, could you get anymore romantic?"

"Do you want to test me?" He smirked and kissed her cheek.

By now Annabeth's whole face was flushed. She tried to cover it and hide a smile, but it wasn't working. "You're so sappy."

Percy scofted, "says you!"

"I am _not."_

"You're lieing to yourself." He cocked an eyebrow in the air.

Annabeth wacked his shoulder. "Shut up Seaweed Brain."

He rolled his eyes. He _really_ hoped Annabeth wouldn't kill him, but he couldn't help himself.

"Oh, you're _so_ dead." Annabeth smirked and licked her hand, then proceeded to chase him with it.

"That's so gross!" He ran ahead, but he couldn't hold back the bursts of loud laughs. Annabeth was much faster then him, so she caught up with ease. She smiled mockingly, holding her hand out to wipe spit on him-

Her hand slapped against his face, and he gasped. Spit was all over his cheek, which was _gross._ "I will get you back for that."

"In your dreams, Seaweed Brain."

"Ok lovebirds, keep the PDA to a minimum!" Leo shouted.

"You think that's PDA? More like evil revenge." Nico raised his eyebrows.

Piper smiled bashfully, " _I_ think they're adorable."

Jason wrinkled his nose. "Dude, you have spit on your cheek."

"I know," Percy said exasperatedly.

Annabeth was still wallowing in her victory. She laughed at the pout on his face.

His smile disappeared once he realised where they were. His apartment was in sight, and he felt nervousness overwelm him. His heart beat quickened again, and he slowed his pace.

What was he going to say? _Hey mom, it's me, your son who died ten years ago. Turns out I'm alive._ His sister was probably going to ask who he was. He wondered if his mom ever told her about him. _Oh, hey, I'm your big brother that's supposed to be dead._

Before he knew it, they arrived at the apartment. His hands were shaking as he pressed the buzzer.

"Hey, it'll be fine," Annabeth reassured.

 _"Yes?"_ Said a voice from the speaker. Percy reconized that voice, his mom.

He took a deep breath. "I-it's Percy. Percy Jackson." His voice was shaky and quiet.

There was a pause. _"Is this some sick joke? Who are you?"_

He grimaced. "It's me, mom. Your son."

The door opened, and he stepped inside. His heart felt heavy and each step took more and more of his confidence away. It's been ten years since he's seen her. His knees felt like jelly, and his hands shook so badly. His mind was a messy jumble of thoughts, all he could manage to do was walk towards the door.

He blinked hard, and rapped his fist against the door. He gulped and strained his ears to hear anything. The door flew open, revealing Sally Jackson.

"Who-" she froze, staring at him in shock.

He couldn't say anything. His mind went completely blank, all he could do was stare into her wide eyes.

"It's not...how," she choked out. "... _Percy?_ " she whispered his name in disbelief.

"Did you miss me?" Hot tears trailed down his face, but he managed a watery smile. His breathing came out in short huffs, a small sob escaped his lips.

She hugged him with the force of a truck. She started sobbing, blubbering on tears and anguish. Her fingers dug into his shirt, she cluched it, like she thought he wasn't real. Her body trembled, she seemed so frail and small in his arms.

Percy's mouth wavered as tears ran down his cheeks. He held his mother tightly, he couldn't believe it.

He was here.

She was here.

He got to see his mom again.

He wanted the hug to last forever. Because...he was scared of the quest. He just wanted to be a little kid again, and live in his little apartment, and go to school. All he wanted was for all of this to end, and stay in the embrace of his mother.

Soon they were falling, falling on their knees and holding onto eachother for dear life. _Percy. Percy._ She breathed into his ear, her words so full of a mother's love.

She twirled his messy black hair around her trembling fingers. "I-I-I never thought..."

In response, he hugged her tighter. "It's ok, I'm here." He gingerly wiped away his mothers tears.

"I'm here."

 **So much emotion in one chapter, jeez. Hope you like sappy stuff, since this chapter is packed full of it.**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Frank

A few hours had pasted since Percy's reunion with his mom. Frank sat on the sofa, watching the news with the rest of his friends. Sure, you would think he would be watching something more interesting, then a whole bunch of murders and sad stories, but he was curious to see how much had changed. Terrorist attacks seemed to be a common thing now, and the world seemed to be more violent in general.

The Amazon Rainforest was torn down completely a few months ago, and they were having problems with pollution. It was so bad that they had to wear masks. He imagined Percy best friend--Grover Underwood, being angry about this. Percy always said Grover was an extreme environmentalist. In fact, he was angry himself. Here he was to save the world, and mortals were destroying it themselves. They didn't even need the monster's help.

Percy sat curled up on the sofa beside Sally. He looked so at ease, maybe the calmest Frank's ever seen him. Percy was always someone who never let his guard down, and now he looked ready to fall asleep. A small smile played on Percy's lips, and his green eyes weren't cold as usual, but glittering and warm. He leaned his head against Sally's shoulder.

Sally hugged her son in a smothering embrace. Dried tears were visable on her cheeks, and her eyes were red and puffy. But she smiled brighter then the sun.

Frank sat next to Hazel. She had fallen asleep long ago, so she snuggled up beside him. Her hair fell into her face, it fluttered as she snored softly. He reached his hand out to move it behind her ear. His felt his face grow hot, as she shifted closer to him in her sleep. He was almost ready to sleep himself, but he didn't want to ask Percy where a bed was, since he didn't want to bother him. So, he shifted so his head rested against the back of the couch, and fell into a dream.

"Hazel!" He cried.

She struggled in yank her foot out of the soft ground. She was unable to move as Orion--the bane of Artemis and Apollo, striked down with his blade.

Hazel raised her sword to block the attack. But Orion was much stronger then her, he had no idea how she still stood her ground. She was pushed backwards, but her feet were still stuck, he was afraid her back would break.

Frank struggled towards her, but it was like running in slow motion. Hazel grunted with effort and beads of sweat ran down her face.

 _No, no, no..._

Hazel was pushed onto her back, into the dirt.

"I thought you would have lasted longer, child of Pluto. What a shame," he taunted.

Suddenly, Frank couldn't move. The dirt around him turned soft, like quicksand. He yanked his foot out, determined to reach her. _Gaea._

He cursed in Latin. Orion was holding the sword above Hazel's chest, ready to strike...

" _No!"_ he shouted, "get away from her you dirty--"

His skin glowed a faint red. Strength coursed through his blood, and he climbed out of the dirt. _Don't you dare touch her._

Fear flickered on Orion's face, but it disappeared quickly. He turned away from Hazel--thank the gods--and loomed towards him.

Frank streched his bow as far as it could go, and sent an arrow into the giant's chest.

Orion bared his teeth. "You puny mortal, you shall die first."

He noticed Hazel struggle in the dirt. She was sinking deeper, it wouldn't be long until she suffocated in the earth. She gasped for air, flailing her arms around for something to hold, but she found nothing.

"Just hold on!" He begged.

Her wide eyes met his. He's never seen her like this, she looked utterly terrified. Her golden eyes were glazed over with despair and fear.

 _"Hurry,"_ she said, before her head disappeared under the earth.

"No!"

Orion saw an opening and charged. That was his mistake.

His heart twisted in his chest, but a new rage filled his mind. His face felt hot, and he knew his eyes were wild and furious. He took out his sheild and sword, and charged at Orion.

It was quite a sight, a ten foot tall giant clashing into a much smaller demigod. The impact of their shields made his teeth rattle, and he felt like a few of his bones just shattered. He grunted as he tried to push Orion off.

 _"Just give up_ ," Orion snarled into his ear.

Frank took out his dagger, and sliced open the giant's thigh. It didn't do much, he knew he needed the help of a god. Would the blessing of Mars be enough? He didn't know.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Orion shreeked, "YOU SHALL DIE A MOST PAINFUL--"

He drove the sword through the giant's gut. He cried out, golden ichor spilled on Frank's hand. Hopefully, it would buy him enough time to save Hazel.

He dug his legs free, and dashed over to where Hazel had sunk in the dirt.

 _Come on, come on._..

His hands clawed the ground. The most haunting thing about this was that it was like she wasn't even here, the ground had smoothed over perfectly.

He felt someone grab his hand frantically. He pulled with ever last drop of energy he had, and slowly, Hazel surfaced.

She choked on mud, and gasped for air. Her eyes were vivid, and she trembled like a fragile leaf. Her hair was clumped with dirt, and her complexion was blanched. She was hyperventilating.

"Hey, hey, Hazel." He held her face in her hands. "I'm here, alright?"

She opened her mouth like she wanted to say something, but all that came out was a wheeze.

"You're okay," he said. "You're safe now."

He gave her a gentle hug. She melted into his arms, sobbing quietly. Then he noticed how the earth around him was rising. No...he was _sinking._

He could feel the blood drain from his face. He felt it pull him deeper into the ground.

"Hazel..." he began.

Her eyes widened. _"Di immortals."_

His legs were completely immobile. This was basically the worst thing that could happen.

"Oh my gods." Hazel wiggled around, only to find that she couldn't move.

Was this how he was going to die? Was he going to suffocate in the earth? What a hero's death, to be buried alive.

"Come on," he said, grabbing on to Hazel's shoulders. "Just _try_ to stand up."

"Frank..." she breathed.

"No, we have to...just try."

The dirt was up to his waist now.

"Look at _me."_ Hazel's large eyes locked with his. "Just stop. The more you struggle, the faster you sink. I-it's like quicksand."

"This is Gaea's doing. We _have_ to keep fighting." His voice cracked. " _Please."_

He knew that was a lie. There was no escaping this now, but a small part of him wanted to believe it wasn't over yet. He was only a teenager. He hasn't even grown up yet. And Hazel...she was only thirteen. This wasn't fair.

Hazel hugged him. It wasn't like any other hug. Two broken souls, embraced moments before their deaths. How pitiful is that?

He started to cry. Horrible, silent tears trailed down his cheeks. He wanted to scream, say _something_ , but all he could do was cry. He didn't want to die.

"It could be worse," she said. "We could die alone."

The dirt was up to his chest.

Hazel began sobbing. She shook and choked in his arms. Could it be worse? Seeing her like this was more heartbreaking then dieing alone.

"I-I just thought...since I came back..."

That's what broke him down into pathetic sobs. Hazel was going to die again. It was his fault. He should have gotten here sooner.

"I-I-I am cursed. Frank I'm s-so sorry, this is _my_ fault." She choked out.

" _Don't_ say that," he said gently. "It isn't."

The dirt was up to his neck.

It would all end soon.

"Just...stay with me," he said softly.

Hazel nodded.

He wondered what death would feel like. Would it be painful? Or like falling asleep? Would he make it to Elysium? He didn't know if this counted as a hero's death. It seemed so pathetic, like giving up.

They held onto eachother for dear life. If they were going to die, at least it was together.

His head sunk beneath the earth. His vision turned pitch black, and he was deaf to the world. How long would he be able to hold his breath?

Everything around him squeezed the air out of his lungs. He could feel the earth around him, slowly killing him. It was in his nose and ears...in his eyes. He could feel it in his lungs.

The only thing that kept him from giving up right there, was Hazel's hand in his. His last tie to the earth was right infront of him, and he couldn't see her, or talk to her.

He wanted to say _I love you,_ but it was much too late for that. He had minutes at most, he could feel his head spin and tears form in his eyes, due to the stinging dirt in them. A faint sense of nausea made him want to throw up, and he started to struggle.

He needed air.

His arms and legs were pinned under the earth, he had no chance of getting out.

 _I'm dieing,_ he thought. _I'm dieing, and no one can save me._ Soon he was too tired to move anymore. He felt a calm sensation fill his head, and he stopped squeezing Hazel's hand. She dug her nails into his palm, hoping to wake him up.

You know those moments before you fall asleep, and your thoughts leave you, and you feel like your floating around? Sometimes, you don't even realise you've fallen asleep.

That's what death felt like.

"Frank!" A dull voice filled his head. "Wake up!"

His eyes flew open with a gasp. His chest rose and fell quickly, and he blinked tears out of his eyes.

Hazel's face was inches away from his, her eyes drooped as she yawned. "Was it a nightmare?" She asked.

"Y-yeah," he said. "It was like I was right there..."

Hazel nodded understandingly. "I had one too."

Their fingers intertwined, and Frank climbed off the sofa on unsteady knees. The dream felt so real, it was like he was back in Athens again.

Leo studied his face. "Jeez, you look terrible."

"Thanks," he grumbled.

Everyone was already awake, helping Sally make breakfast. The heavenly smell of bacon and pancakes filled his nose. His mouth watered as the bacon sizzled.

"Good morning Mrs.Jackson," he greeted.

She turned around with a bright smile. "Good morning, dear," she paused. "I believe I haven't introduced myself, I'm Sally Jackson."

"I'm Frank Zhang," he replied.

"Ah yes, and you must be Hazel," she beamed.

"Hazel Levesque." She shook Sally's hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," said Sally, then flipping a pancake.

Frank furrowed his eyebrows. "Why...is it blue?"

If he looked _terrible,_ then he didn't know how to descibe Percy. His eyes were sunken and bloodshot, it looked like he could barely keep them open. His usual tan skin was sheet white, and he basically looked ready to drop dead right there. "It's kind of a long story."

"Dude, I'm pretty curious too." Jason lifted a coffee cup to his lips.

Everyone looked terrible. Jason yawned repeatedly, and Piper held her face in her hands, Frank wondered if she was still sleeping. Reyna and Annabeth were calm and collected, which was no surprise. But everyone else looked like they haven't slept in days.

"Alright, well, back when I was pretty young--I still didn't know I was a demigod, my mom and Gabe had this big fight."

"Smelly Gabe?" Piper perked her head up.

Sally chuckled, "that's the one."

"Anyways, Gabe said there was no such thing as blue food. It escalated quickly, and ever since then, mom has gone out of her way to eat blue. It was her way of saying, screw you." Percy smiled proudly at his mom.

"It was a little rebellious streak." Sally had this wistful look in her eyes. "Then it became kind of a tradition."

Frank had heard stories of smelly Gabe. Percy said that when he was on his first quest, he encountered Medusa herself. With help from Annabeth and Grover, they managed to cut off her head. When he got back home, Medusa's head was sent to him, and Sally used it to turn Gabe to stone. It made Frank a little scared, but he also admired Sally. At least he knew where Percy got his courage from.

They made small talk threw breakfast. Percy inhaled about 9 pancakes, which didn't seem physically possible.

"Would you _stop_ eating!" Annabeth chided.

"Sorry Wise Girl, can't do that," he said, while stuffing another pancake in his mouth.

Annabeth rolled her eyes while Leo snorted.

"Good morning mommy." A little girl stepped into the kitchen, but as she saw the 10 teenagers, she ran into the other room.

"Estelle!" Sally dashed after her.

Percy froze. His green eyes were like the size of dinner plates, and he suddenly looked extremely anxious.

Frank couldn't imagine what Percy was feeling right now. He was going to meet his little sister for the first time in his life.

Sally took Estelle's hand and lead her into the kitchen. Estelle stared at them with wide brown eyes, she partially hid behind her mother.

"Estelle, this is Percy." She waved Percy over. "Remember those stories I told you about your big brother?"

Estelle nodded shyly.

"Well, now you get to meet him in person!"

Percy shuffed his feet, he bent down on his knees infront of Estelle. "Hey kiddo. I'm your...big brother, Percy."

"Really?" She said softly.

His eyes twinkled. "Yep."

Estelle came out from behind her mother. "Do you want to see my drawings?"

He guessed that was kid speak for "you're my friend now." His heart swelled as he watched Percy's face light up.

"Sure kiddo."

Estelle bounced to her room, grabbing Percy's hand. "Did you _actually_ kill those bad monsters?"

"Sure did," Percy replied.

"Wow!" She said excitedly.

Sally hurriedly wiped her eyes. "So, where are you guys going going to stay?"

"Actually..." Piper trailed away.

Frank knew what she was getting at. They weren't going to stay anywhere, because they were leaving for their quest. He didn't want to break the news, and neither did anyone here. Everyone looked anywhere but Sally's face.

Her eyes widened in alarm. "Did something happen?"

"Camp Half-blood...it's, well, gone." Annabeth fiddled with her necklace, and averted her eyes.

Sally covered her mouth. "I-I'm so sorry, where will you go?"

No one answered.

"You could stay here I suppose, although it will be packed..." she babbled.

Frank felt guilt spread inside him. Someone should tell her, but he didn't know if he could handle to look on her face when he did...

Percy walked in with Estelle. "And _this_ one is named Moana, _she_ is friends with the ocean! Mommy said you're friends with the ocean too!" Estelle jumped on her tip toes.

Percy chuckled. "She sounds awesome."

"Mommy said your dad is like Triton from The Little Mermaid, does that mean you're the prince of the sea? Are you a _merman?_ "

"I don't have a fish tail, but I _can_ breath underwater."

"Woah," she exclaimed.

Sally turned towards Percy with a frown. "Sweetie, is there something you're not telling me?"

Percy tensed. "About what?"

"You're-you're not going on another quest?" She stiffened as she saw Percy's guilty expression. "Are you?"

"There was a price for coming back..."

" _No_ ," she whispered. "No, no, no..."

"Mom?" Percy suddenly sounded like a child.

"Tell me you're staying...you didn't, you can't!" Tears burned in Sally's eyes. "Talk to your father, or-or--"

"I have to go, mom."

Sally gripped her son's shoulders. "No, you don't have to go, there must be a way."

"There's another prophecy, it involves me. I couldn't get out of this even if I wanted to." Percy studied the ground.

"You're not even an adult Percy! You shouldn't be saving the w-world...you're just a child!" Sally took a deep breath, and placed her shaking hands on the counter. She buried her face in her hands. "You can stay...just for a little while, right?"

"We, uh, have to go as soon as possible." Percy looked ready to burst into tears. "There's this witch, if we don't stop her, it won't be good for any of us."

Sally pinched her nose. "Are you _sure_ you can't delay this? I don't want to lose you again."

"You're not losing me," he said. "I'll come back home. I promise."

"Where are you going Percy?" Estelle chimed in.

"Just, away for a little while, on a top secret mission. But I'll be back before you know it."

Estelle's lip trembled. "But...I don't want you to go."

Sally lifted Estelle into her arms. "Honey, Percy is just going on a small trip, just like your daddy. He'll come back, and you'll see him all the time."

"You promise Percy?" Estelle sniffled. "Pinky promise?"

They held out their pinkies and joined them.

"Pinky promise."

Frank was getting emotional himself. Percy looked so heartbroken leaving his family, and he didn't know if he was going to come back. Being a demigod meant you didn't know when your life could end, and the best of heroes always died young. They were good examples of "heroes dieing young," and saying all these goodbyes made him feel like he wasn't coming back. He knew his friends were feeling the same. Death seemed unavoidable as a demigod.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Piper

Piper watched as Percy said his goodbyes, hopefully he would survive this quest and join his family in Manhattan, and try to live out a normal life. She imagined going to Central Park and having picnics with her friends, and Sally and Estelle. She imagined laughing and smiling, without worrying about constant danger. She imagined actually _relaxing._

She reminded herself that this fantasy wasn't necessarily impossible. Just because some of her life was horrible, didn't mean the rest of it would be. It would be her goal, and she would achieve it. Not just because she needed it, but because her friends were in desperate need of a break. If they could manage to find some hope in this dark and dangerous life, they could do anything.

The problem was actually finding hope. After everything they've been through, _just_ not giving up was hard enough. She believed if they were going to win, they needed some positive light. But she had a difficult time being optimistic herself.

She thought back to what Thalia had said: _'you all have someone to fight for._ ' It was true. That fierce protectiveness would help them survive, but would it be enough to destroy an enemy a thousand times more powerful then them? Not likely.

Evil people--like Medea, were good at crushing the hope out of you. But what if there wasn't any hope there in the first place? Something told her that they would be killed easily. If they wanted to die, why were they still fighting? Was it beacause of the people around them?

Piper realised how close they were to giving up. What would happen if Medea separated them, or killed everyone around her? She didn't want to admit it, but deep down she knew she would rather die. Medea was cunning. She probably already knew their weakness, it wasn't easy to miss. It was alarming how the world's fate depended on a couple of broken demigods. Unless they found some good in the world, this battle wouldn't end well for them.

They needed something--or someone to believe in. Definitely not the gods, it was a miracle they still followed them, even if they were their parents. 10 years in Elysium with no exclamation as to _why_ , not even one visit, turned them bitter. It's not like the gods were ever around anyway. Their parents were cold and uncaring, they were only a little bit better then the enemy. As soon as they crossed the line, she wouldn't hesitate to abandon them.

So that was crossed off the list. They were demigods. What they needed wasn't some greater good--they needed to believe in themselves. First, they needed to stop moping around, and start fighting like the heroes they were. Elysium changed them. Death changed them. She thought that her old self was gone, but it was at her fingertips. The only difference between her old self, and who she was now, was the lack of her resilience. She could get it back if she tried hard enough. It was the same for the others, they just had to see it her way.

She read her friends faces. Percy's eyes were hauntingly broken--completely shattered. Tears pooled in them, but he angrily blinked them away. His knuckled were white, he was clutching them so hard that blood dripped onto the pavement. He walked stiffly.

Annabeth looked no better. Her breathing was irregular and her calm facade was absolutely gone. Annabeth was always the voice of reason, her and Reyna were their leaders. Now she looked close to a panic attack.

Piper remembered Percy and Annabeth had it _much_ worse then her. First, Percy went missing for almost a year, and when they reunited, Annabeth had to go on a solo quest for her mother--one that almost got her killed. That only added to her hatred of the gods. It ultimately landed them in Tartarus, the hell of the Greek world. They weren't even over that before Annabeth witnessed Percy die in her arms, then died herself.

She studied Jason's wounded face. Once everyone got to know him, he got to actually be himself--which was a caring, geeky teenager, who always lost his glasses. (To prove her point, Jason lost his glasses a few days ago.) He was always one to hide his emotions, but after 10 years that habit faded away. Jason was probably thinking about what happened with Percy. Jason didn't have a choice when his mother died, it was unlikely that he even remembered her. Now Percy was forced to leave his mom. Maybe for good.

Then Leo. These last few days seemed to have tried their hardest to break him, and they were close to succeeding. Piper's heart twisted when she thought about everything Leo's been through, and he kept all that pain to himself, even after all these years. There was no bounce in his step. He looked too close to giving up for her liking.

Hazel and Frank fixed their gazes to the ground. They were inseparable, always holding hands and remaining annoyingly positive. Most of the time, that is. Now they didn't look any better then the rest of them.

Will and Nico talked quietly to themselves, frowning. Will didn't have his light-hearted glow around him, and Nico's hair wasn't tied up as usual, but it fell into his eyes and hid his face. Of course it was rare to see Nico smiling, but he got better over the years. Will was always there for him. But maybe this time they had to be there for eachother, even if they couldn't comfort or reasure.

Piper learned over the years that sometimes you couldn't say anything. Just being there was enough.

To a stranger, Reyna probably looked completely normal. To someone who knew her all these years, she looked so much different. Her eyes were empty. They were the eyes of a soldier that had been through to much to comprehend. Reyna had perfected hiding everything behind a wall, and it nearly worked on Piper. But she knew about emotions. No matter how hard you tried to hide them, they always leaked through, all at once or slowly--it didn't matter. The eyes always gave it away. And as she stared into those empty eyes, she felt empty herself.

Frustration bubbled inside of her. There had to be _someone_ to blame for all this unnecessary sorrow that poisoned her friends minds. Maybe it was just the world. Sure, it brought them together, that was the best thing that ever happened to her. Anyone could crack under all this. All the murders, and monsters around them, constantly hunting for demigod blood.

She wasn't some motivational speaker. She _definitely_ wasn't a leader. She had no idea what to say--but she knew her friends weren't completely gone, they were just lost.

She wasn't Percy. Back in Athens, when everyone was doubting they would win, Percy said a few words that changed her: _'of course we're going to win, what else would we do?'_ It wasn't some huge speech, it wasn't really motivating if you didn't hear it. Those words were filled with so much emotion and love, and he sounded so _sure_ that they would win. Percy was always good at putting together simple words, and saying them in such a way, that it was impossible to doubt him.

Piper would make herself sound like an idiot if she tried that.

She wasn't Annabeth, who knew about the science of the human mind, and used her knowledge to string together a sentence that was just what you wanted to hear. Annabeth would know what to do--if she wasn't currently suffering herself.

She wasn't Reyna. She was a natural born leader, a speech before battle was a breeze for her. She was persuasive without using charmspeak, like Piper had to.

She skidded to a stop. No, she wasn't anyone else, she was _Piper Mclean._ She was unique in her own way, she couldn't be like Percy, Annabeth, or Reyna. People thought she was weak. She even started to convince herself that it was true. She had a mother who was often stereotyped as useless and girly, and she thought she was the same. Her father's shadow constantly haunted her, _how_ could she be like him? He was never ignored, like she was. All she wanted was her father's attention. Then, she met these wonderful friends who thought of her as brave, smart, and part of their team. They noticed who she really was.

It was _doubt_ that was holding her back.

Jason stopped, turning his heavy-lidded eyes towards her. "Coming, Pipes?"

"There's something I need to say." The others began to turn their heads towards her in interest. "It's important."

She met each of their eyes. She wanted to pour every ounce of love she was feeling into them, heal their broken hearts. Maybe she could do that, but with words. She could pour her heart into her words, and hopefully make them understand.

"Stop," she said.

"What?" Nico furrowed his eyebrows.

"What you're doing," she blurted out. "I know you're sad. I _know_ you're broken. But we can't give up, and I know you're close to."

"Why shouldn't we?" Leo said in a low voice.

Everyone regarded Leo with surprise. He'd just said what everyone was thinking, but they'd never admit it. No one would suggest it, because that made it real.

"Leo..." Annabeth bit her lip. "After everything, we can't just--"

" _No!"_ he snapped. "At least when we were dead, we were free. Now it's like we're slaves. All that follows us is destruction."

Piper glared into Leo's deep brown eyes. They were so grief-stricken that it almost made her cry, but she kept speaking. "That's not true, and _you_ know it! Sure, it's been pretty bad lately. But that doesn't mean it won't ever be _good_ again."

Leo bowed his head. "It's pretty hard to see anything good right now."

"Maybe you can't see it right now," she said. "But it's there. It will _always_ be there, if you're brave enough to go looking for it."

Percy watched her with a sad gaze. "How can you say this right now? All I can see is a couple of teenagers who's lives are miserable"

"Do you want to know?" Her confidence started to build. "I see us together, in Camp Halfblood, helping new demigods."

That seemed to catch their interest.

"I see Percy living with his mom and Paul, raising Estelle. I see a _peaceful_ world, one where we're _happy._ "

Everyone was staring at her now. " _I see_ us going to college. _I see_ us having families, and _building_ something." She smiled the brightest she's smiled in a long time. "I see a _beautiful_ and better world, thanks to you."

"Do you really think that's possible?" Will asked in a small voice.

"I _know_ it's possible," she said. "We can make it happen, if we work for it. We don't know the future. _Nothing_ is set in stone, we can change _anything!_ "

See felt as if the whole world was watching her. Her friends eyes were filled with something--something she hasn't seen in a long time.

Hope.

"Only if we truely believe we can." And she believed. Maybe, just maybe, her believing would be enough to make them see.

"We keep looking at what's right infront of us." Reyna's eyes sparkled. "Piper's right. We have a future, and we have the power to make it a _good_ one."

They were quiet for a long time, before Annabeth spoke up. "The gods, however powerful they may be, don't control us. Remember why we came back? It was for a future. We must have forgot that along the way."

"And, to be together," Percy said. "We're more then friends, we're _family_."

"Anyone who wants to take that away from us..." Will didn't finish the thought, leaving their imaginations to run wild.

Leo was unnaturally quiet as he heard Piper's words. She could almost see the gears turning in his head, thinking about what she had said. Then, to everyone's surprise, he hugged Piper fiercely.

"Thank you," he breathed into her neck.

She was caught off guard, that was for sure. Leo was almost never serious, and hugging someone and actually meaning it, was rare for him. Her arms were stiff at her sides, before she wrapped him in a tight hug. It was almost alarming how unlike Leo this was.

Before Leo could escape, everyone trapped them into a group hug. He grumbled in protest but she could see him hiding a smile. She could literally feel Will, Jason, and Percy squeezing the air out of her lungs. Annabeth and Reyna, being very tall, rested their chins on her head. Nico and Hazel were moved to the middle by Frank, completely disappearing in the jumbles of arms.

Her worries faded away as she laughed with her friends. All that mattered right now was that they were together, and they were _happy._ Happier then they've been in a long time.

Of course, after the calm, there's always a storm. Their true test would come many months later, and hopefully, they would remember what Piper had said.

Because it might save their lives.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Will

Will glanced at Nico worriedly, which wasn't something new. Nico had a reputation for always getting wounded or using his underworld magic and draining his energy. Guess who had to help the idiot? Him. He was always worried about Nico. He reminded Will of an adorable puppy who's been kicked around too much--and it was his job to keep that puppy safe.

Being a talented healer meant he's seen some pretty gruesome things. It was his passion--to help people. There was this amazing feeling when you do something good, whether it's sewing up a small injury, or saving someone's life. But with Nico it was different. Before they died, Nico visited the infirmary after he arrived with the Athena Parthenos. Of course, he's had this big crush on him since the Titan War, but Nico was completely oblivious. It was frustrating.

Nico was at the infirmary for a couple of days. The whole time Will was _trying_ to drop subtle hints, he even flirted with Nico, yet he didn't even notice. Nico was being himself: the brooding emo teenager, not an overall likable person. But Will was head over heels for him. Then the huge battle happened, against Gaea and her army.

Nico got himself stabbed--and it was bad. As soon as he saw the wound, he knew there was nothing he could do to save him. But that didn't mean he wasn't going to try. And Nico, he was in a lot of pain, he had to do something. He still remembered the panic he felt to this day. That was the day he realised it was more then a crush, he had fallen in love with Nico di Angelo.

He couldn't save him. It didn't matter how much you love someone, the world was cruel, and didn't care if it took someone you love. He blamed himself for so long--it took years for Nico to finally convince him otherwise. Eventually the battle took him too. He had thought it was over, and he wouldn't see Nico ever again. Oh, how wrong he was.

Elysium. That stupid smiley sunshine land (as Nico says.) It took months for him to suck it up and kiss Nico, even though they both knew about eachother's crushes. Amazing, isn't it, how long it takes for two annoyingly stubborn people to acknowledge their feelings. It took them awhile to realise _'hey, we're dead. What are we waiting for anyway?'_

And _still,_ to this day, they couldn't say anything romantic without sarcasm or blushing up a storm. He'd like to say he never blushes, but that wasn't true. Whenever Nico wasn't grumpy (like never,) he could say things that made Will turn into a tomato. And Nico got flustered easily. They went together nicely.

As they walked down the street, he couldn't rip his eyes away from Nico's face. He could see more of Nico's Italian heratage, his skin was more olive toned then pale. He still hated going outside, so he hasn't completely lost his paleness, but he had definitely changed.

You couldn't age in Elysium, but somehow Nico looked older. His round cheeks had changed, his cheekbones more angular and sharp. His eyebrows thickened, and his face had lengthened. Hie features were more noticable. His soft pink lips stood out against the paler skin. His eyes were less round, now more sharp. Will loved Nico's eyes, the dark irises always caught his eye, huge and round. Nico was growing up now. His bangs shielded most of his face to Will's disappointment.

How had Nico aged anyway? What if time was passing differently, so they would age twice as fast to make up for the ten years they had lost? Or _maybe,_ Nico wasn't eating, and that's why he had lost some of his boyish features.

"Hey Nico," he said softly, "when was the last time you ate?"

Nico seemed surprised by the question, but quickly hid it. He could see his mind working, figuring out what to say. "Not since...we arrived at Camp Halfblood."

" _What_!" he hissed. He cursed himself for not noticing sooner.

Nico squeezed his eyes shut. "I just...I just haven't been feeling well lately. I'm fine honestly."

"You can't just go days without eating! It messes with your metabolism, and--"

"I don't want a lecture Will," he snapped.

Will narrowed his eyes. "You have to eat. It won't make you feel better in the long run, it will only get worse," he said. "And you _know_ that. I've said this a hundred times before."

Nico looked away guiltily. Piper had talked about all of this, how they needed to pick themselves up and continue to fight. And here Nico was, not eating.

"I just lost my appetite. Stop worrying so much," Nico replied.

" _Just_ losing an appetite can lead to worse things. Your immune system will be useless, and you could catch a disease," he murmured. "I know you want to help with the quest. How are you going to do that if you're in a hospital?"

Nico's cheeks flushed with anger. "Now _you're_ overthinking things! I said I'm fine, maybe for once you should believe me!"

"If you were fine, you would be eating."

Nico glared at him. Will glared back with just as much intensity, and Nico broke his gaze. Will placed his hand onto Nico's shoulder.

"You need to eat Nico." He pulled a small bag of crackers out of his pack. "Please."

Nico read his face, deciding what to do. He looked back from the food to Will's face, and finally chose the food. He grundgingly took it, and chewed on the food angrily. He knew that Nico hated when he lost an argument.

Nico shoved the bag back in his hand. "We have to save it. It's for the quest, not a snack."

"You should eat more," Reyna suggested.

Will felt a small smile play at his lips. Now he had Reyna on his side, which meant Nico _had_ to eat. Reyna was like Nico's big sister, and very overprotective. It was funny to see Nico scowl and swear under his breath.

"If I don't want to eat," grumbled Nico, "then I'm _not_ going to eat."

"Oh really?" Reyna cocked her head to the side.

Nico groaned. "Don't start--"

"You better eat something, or I'll tell Hazel _and_ Jason."

Nico's eyes widened. "You _wouldn't._ "

Reyna opened her mouth to yell, but Nico hurriedly took the crackers back.

"Okay, okay, fine," he mumbled.

Will couldn't hold back a snicker. He would lecture Nico for hours until he ate. It was bad enough being being scolded by Reyna, but Hazel and Jason? No way would Nico want that.

Still, there must be more to it. Not eating for a few days doesn't make you look older, it just makes you skinnier. Maybe Nico not eating was part of it, but that didn't explain the thicker eyebrows, longer face, or sharper eyes. What would happen if they were actually aging faster then normal? He imagined waking up one day and discovering that he was twenty-five. He shuddered as he thought about it.

They weaved through the crowed streets of New York in silence. It was like Nico to give him the silent treatment, after all, his fatal flaw was holding grudges. But for some reason, Nico couldn't stay mad at him for long. At one point or another he would get over himself and talk to him. He was a patient guy.

The harbor came into view. The sky was a gloomy gray. The ocean sprayed on the boats, full of mud and garbage. His stomach turned as he watched the waves grow in size and bash aganist the shore. A few lonely seagulls stood out against the bleak backround.

The ocean always stirred up bad memories. When he was younger, he was playing at the beach with his family, and got caught in a riptide. He almost drowned. There was countless nightmares, and a phobia of the ocean surfaced. It was stupid to still fear the ocean, _especially_ when there's a son of Poisidon with you, but he couldn't help it. Sometimes the things that happen in your childhood stay with you forever, no matter how many years pass.

Just how Nico fears the darkness.

How Percy fears drowning.

And how Thalia is scared of heights.

Those stupid fears were stuck in their heads, and no matter how much you want to get rid of them...they stay. Maybe through nightmares, or a flashback. You had to learn to conquer them. Or they will cause problems one way or another.

They were going to sail across the Atlantic, so there was no avoiding it.

"Which one are we taking?" asked Frank.

"I wish we had Festus," Leo commented. "Or the Argo11. Nothing here is going to beat a giant warship."

"That one looks cool." Percy pointed towards a cruise ship.

Annabeth placed her hands on her hips. "There's only _ten_ of us Seaweed Brain. That boat can hold more then five hundred people," she said. "Plus, there's already mortals on board."

"Okay, _fine_ ," Percy grumbled, "just no rowboats."

"How about that one?" Jason said.

He was pointing to a small yacht. It was a good size, with a sleek build. This was the type of boat that rich people had. It was very fancy, and Will imagined how cool it would be to sail it. Sure, it wasn't a warship, but there wasn't anything wrong with treating themselves for once.

"Ok, _that_ is freaking cool," Percy exclaimed.

Percy and Leo exchanged mischievous looks. They smirked, then raced towards the yacht.

"Hey! Get back here!" Annabeth yelled.

Percy and Leo ignored her as they sprinted into the yacht. Will could hear the hum of their excited voices, before they appeared in the window grinning like idiots. They waved at them to come in.

Annabeth scofted. "Sometimes I worry about them."

"Really?" Reyna said. "I worry about them all the time."

Will's curiosity grew. He had never been in a big yacht like that before, and he was interested to see what it was like to have enough money to blow it on a boat like that.

"Well?" Nico raised his eyebrows. "You're looking at that boat like it's chocolate."

A wide grin spread on his face. "Can we look inside?"

The corner of Nico's mouth twitched. "You're just as bad as them," he complained. "But if you _insist._ "

He grabbed Nico's hand before he could change his mind. They raced through the door, and his breath caught.

The outside was one thing--this was another. The entry way was built to impress. A large white leather sofa curled around a chestnut dinning table that was polished to perfection. There was a center piece in the middle full of plastic food. The roof was low with bright lights, which seemed to reflect off of the ridiculously shiny floor. If that wasn't enough, an enormous crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. A compacted kitchen was placed in the far corner.

"Oh my gods," Nico breathed, "this is nuts."

Will had enough sense to close his hanging jaw. All he could manage to do was nod dumbly.

They walked into the next room. Will guessed this was a lounge of sorts, maybe even a game room. Large windows overlooked the choppy sea. He imagined it would look much nicer if it wasn't so stormy outside. A pool table sat in the middle of the room. Another sofa faced the window, with way too many pillows piled on top. A _huge_ flat screen television hung from the wall.

There was a hallway with multiple doors off to the sides. He opened one, finding a fancy bathroom. Who needed a television while they were shitting? Better yet, why was the toilet _golden?_

He rolled his eyes before exploring the next room. A king sized bed sat in the middle of the room, with oversized blankets and pillows. Cabinets were packed against the walls, with oval windows above them.

Will glanced over his shoulder at Nico. His large eyes swept over his surroundings, before resting on Will. He seemed to gaze at him for a long time, his cheeks turning a soft pink. A fierce desire filled Will's heart.

He was moving forward--then Nico was. Their bodies collided, and Will pressed Nico up against the wall. He could feel Nico's heart beating wildly in his chest as he gripped Will's shoulders. He drew Nico closer; fitting Nico's body into his. It was like sparks were igniting all over his skin, and his breathing quickened.

A moment later he was kissing Nico roughly, full of wanting. His lips were soft and hot against his. He opened his mouth fully, giving himself up to the kiss. His skin felt hot wherever Nico touched him, and he almost moaned, it was so perfect.

He broke away, breathing hard. His lips traveled up Nico's neck, brushing against the pulse of his throat, along his jaw, his lips barely touching Nico's skin. He could feel Nico's chest rise and fall against his as he made sounds of pleasure.

"My _eyes!_ " Leo shrieked, "get a room!"

Will's face flushed. "We _are_ in a room."

"That's--that's not the point!" he stuttered.

Nico looked horrified. His face turned a deep red before he hid it in his hands.

"Why are you screaming?" Percy appeared at the doorway. He looked at their flushed faces and towards Leo's wide eyes. "Oh."

"I did _not_ need to see that." said Leo. "I'm traumatized. I'm traumatized!"

"Look on the bright side," Percy said with a devilish grin. "You can tease them about this for _ages._ "

"Watch yourself Jackson." Will narrowed his eyes. "I have lots of stuff _I_ can tease _you_ about."

Percy flushed a deep red, holding his hands up. "Okay, jeez."

"What's going on?" asked Piper.

"Those two horny children were making out." Leo pointed at them accusingly.

"Horny _children?_ " Nico echoed. Will was surprised Nico didn't kill Leo right there.

Piper started laughing, clutching her stomach.

Jason's eye twitched. "Nico, you're only fourteen."

"I was born way before you!" Nico shot back.

"Alright, everyone calm down," Percy said. "We've all done worse."

"Actually _I_ haven't," Leo mumbled.

Percy nodded. "Besides Leo."

The rest of their friends peered through the doorway.

"We found the cockpit." Annabeth looked at them curiously. "What--"

"Doesn't matter now," Leo interrupted. "How do we get this baby up and running?"

Just then, a sickening crash sent Will stumbling. The boat seemed to tilt sideways, and for a second he thought it was going to tip over. But it rocked back into it's normal position.

" _Quiet_ ," Reyna hissed.

Will gulped. There was a thumping sound, at first he thought it was just the waves lapping against the boat. But this was different...like it was coming from above his head. The thumping grew louder, then stopped. He did not dare move.

Then the ceiling gave away.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Nico

He was tossed to the side as the roof gave away above him. Everything was moving to fast for him to comprehend what was happening, or why he was being pushed. His head bashed against the side of a cabinet, making his vision blur and his head spin. He tried to get up, but his world felt disoriented, and his knees were too weak to do so.

Finally his ears stopped ringing...and he wished they hadn't. Cold blooded screams filled the room. He shot to his feet, ignoring his pounding head, and blanched.

An empousa had pinned Will to the ground. Her fangs dug into his neck, as he struggled and cried out from under her. He was used to seeing horrible and terrifying enemies, but after ten years of not encountering a single monster...the empousa's appearance shocked him. Her flaming hair and long fangs made his eyes widen. She had pretty face, but it was ruined by it's unnatural pale colour, and the bright red blood staining it.

He was shocked out of his reverie by more agony filled screams. He quickly grabbed a sword supplied by the hunters, and ran to Will's aid. There was blood -- a lot of blood. His heart thumped in his chest wildly as he tried to sneak up on the empousa the best he could. He fought the urge to yell Will's name, to reasure him that he was going to be okay. But stealth was more important.

Then, he was right behind her. He did not hesitate as he swung his sword down in one, fluid motion, easily cutting through the monster's back. She gave one last strangled cry, before disintegrating into the all too familiar monster dust.

"Will!" he cried, falling to his knees at his boyfriend's side. Blood leaked from where the empousa had pierced her fangs. There were burns all long his right arm.

Will relaxed once he saw Nico leaning over him. "I'm fine," he said in a strained voice.

"No, you're not." Nico grabbed Will's bag, which had been laying to the side, discarded. He quickly glanced over his shoulder, to see his friends fighting many more empousa that had dropped through the roof. Their technique was off by a lot. An hour of training at Camp Halfblood didn't do much to improve their timeing or accuracy. He watched in horror as an empousa nearly landed a fatal hit on Piper.

He was faintly aware of his hands shaking. When he died, he thought all the war and pain would finallystop. But he couldn't escape it -- something told him he would _never_ escape it. Since...since Bianca, he's tried to ignore any sort of love, whether it was platonic or romantic. All that came with it was suffering and pain. But, with Will, he was happier then he'd ever been since she left. A part of him was saying: _I told you so._ He struggled not to dig his nails into his scalp.

"Bandages...bandanges," his said, voice shaking, "where the _hell_ are the--" He pulled out a bundle of them, and hurriedly unwrapped them.

Will was getting worse. His bronze skin turned pale and sickly looking, while his eyes were glazed over as he stared into space. Nico cupped his cheeks. "Just...just hold on, okay? You're going to be fine." He took a shaky breath. "Listen to the sound of my voice."

Will's bright eyes focused on him, and he gave a small nod. Nico could tell he was struggling to remain conscious, with the blistering red burns up his arm, and from the loss of blood. But he managed to keep his eyes open and listen to the sound of Nico's rambling. He propped Will's head onto his lap, trying to ignore Will's hisses of pain. He couldn't lose him. He _wouldn't._ He unraveled the bandages, and began to wrap them around the wound. Will gave a sharp intake of breath as the fabric brushed against the torn flesh. Nico muttered apologies as Will continued to wince and gasp. The sounds of battle had ended, and his friends had started to gather around them.

Annabeth crouched beside him. "I can help with his arm," she said softly.

He was about to refuse, but as he thought about it, he realised he was doing a sloppy job dressing the wound due to his paniced state. And it hurt to see Will like this. So he gave a weak nod, and moved to the side. He gave Will's hand a reassuring squeeze.

Burns streched all the way up Will's arm, from his hand to his shoulder, both first and second degree. His skin turned a bright pink, and bloody blisters formed in the worst spots. _It must have been from the empousa's hair_ , he thought.

Annabeth poured cold water on Will's arm, making him let out a string of loud curses.

"Sorry, sorry," she whispered. She pulled out a first aid kit, rummaging through it. Finally, she found a tube of cream, which Nico reconized as antibiotic ointment.

"You're lucky Will," she said. "It could be much worse."

"I know," he replied through clenched teeth.

She gingerly applied the cream to the blisters. Will squeezed his hand so hard, that he wouldn't be surprised if a finger snapped.

As if Will noticed this, he immediately held Nico's hand more gently. Will squeezed his eyes shut, and his lips turned white. He glanced at Annabeth, who was having a hard time herself. Each time Will gasped or stiffened, her eyes filled with more and more pain. He recalled that second degree burns were more painful then third degree, and his stomach turned. How much pain was Will in right now? It wasn't just a small burn, it traveled all the way up his arm. Will's face was scrunched up, and he leaned away from his arm, as if he could escape the pain. Nico brushed a lock of blond hair out of Will's eyes. He began to twirl it around his fingers, and stroke the scalp of his head. Will melted into the touch, and Nico felt himself relax.

Annabeth finished with the cream, and started to wrap the bandages around Will's arm. His eyes flew open as it made contact with his skin, and his arm twitched in Annabeth's grasp.

"It's okay, it's okay...I'm here." Nico brushed his lips against Will's forehead.

Annabeth took a deep breath and continued. He noticed how her hands trembled, but she applied the bandages with a neutral expression and professionalism. He knew it was just a mask, but she wouldn't let her emotions get in the way of helping her friends.

Finally, Will's arm was completely covered in bandages. It seemed like it took hours, even if he knew it was just minutes. Annabeth sighed and sat back, and Percy gave her shoulder a squeeze.

He took a good look at his friends. No serious injuries, but dust was caked in their hair, and they looked more paranoid then usual. His eyes scanned over Hazel, she had a small cut across her cheek, but other then that, she seemed fine. The only other noticable wound was the cut down Leo's arm, which bled heavily.

"That won't be the last of them," Reyna pointed out. "We were foolish to think we wouldn't be attacked, the scent of four children of the big three must be overwhelming."

Annabeth nodded. "The yacht is ruined, we should find something else."

"What? No!" Leo spluttered.

"There's holes in the roof, and it's raining in here," Hazel reminded him.

Leo crossed his arms. "But it's, like, the coolest boat here."

"It doesn't matter if it's _cool_ or not," Annabeth growled, "there must be a more logical option then this."

"Annabeth's right," Percy said.

"Oh, _I_ see how it is." Leo narrowed his eyes and pointed at Percy.

"Guys!" Nico snapped. "Will's hurt. Let's just get out of here before more monsters come."

Leo's eyes softened as he glanced at Will. "Yeah, you're right. I'd rather not see more of those vampire ladies again."

Piper narrowed her eyes. Before Leo could protest, she grabbed his wrist. Her eyes widened as she noticed the wound. "Leo! Your arm!"

The cut was more severe then Nico realised. It traveled down the inside of his upper arm, and curled around his elbow. Dark red blood stained the carpet under their feet.

Leo winced. "It's nothing, really."

Will tried to push himself up by his elbows, but stopped when he gave a strangled cry. He settled for staying on the ground. "Piper, apply pressure on the wound."

Piper did as she was told. She took gauze out of the bag, and pressed it onto Leo's arm. She apologized when Leo started to curse.

"It's not spurting blood, right?" Will asked.

"No," Piper said while wrinkling her nose.

"That's good," Will observed. "He should be fine, as long as the wound is stiched up."

Leo was looking a little pale. "Would you stop talking about blood? It makes me squeamish."

Leo chewed at his lip. Nico could tell he was in pain, from the small winces to the way his fists clenched and unclenched. His face was paper white, and his brown eyes were bigger then normal.

"Hold that until it stops bleeding," Will instructed. Nico held out his hand to help Will to his feet. He seemed a bit annoyed by not being able to get up by himself, but he clasped his hand anyways. As soon as Will stood, he started to sway dangerously. Nico grimaced at the sight of his boyfriend.

Thankfully no blood had leaked through his bandages. But the burns must have been extremely painful, and he had lost a lot of blood. His face was strained and a thin layer of sweat shone on his forehead.

Reyna averted her eyes and studied the ground. "Come on."

They hobbled down the hall, and took one last look at the yacht. It was odd to think about how only ten minutes ago, he was kissing Will without a worry in the world. He had to remind himself that they were never safe. Demigods always had to be on alert, because monsters never stopped hunting them. If they let that guard down...then something like this would happen.

 _Stupid._ How many years was it going to take for him to realise this? He was supposed to protect his loved ones. Not act as if everything was alright, because it wasn't. Medea would be sending monsters out all over the city to capture or kill them. He had forgotten that, and now Will was hurt.

Will leaned heavily against him, with one arm slung around his shoulders for support. Nico felt odd, since Will was at least a good six inches taller then him. Will was always the one looking down at him, not the opposite. And seeing him so frail and battered like this, it was mentally exhausting. Will was the light in his world -- his sunshine -- he couldn't stand it if he left. It went the same both ways.

Outside it had began to rain. Cool drops slid down his cheeks and nose, almost giving him the impression of crying. But tears were always warm, and the rain was cool and refreshing, almost pleasant. He quickly scanned the area for threats, becoming tenser as he spotted none. Were these attacks even organized? If they were, that meant Medea knew where they were and would be quickly sending reinforcements. Maybe this was just some random attack. He doubted that, though. Medea seemed smart enough, she would most likely have control of the monster population, and was proabably tracking them down right now.

The others seemed to be thinking the same thing. He could almost feel their distress coming off in waves as they searched for an escape.

"That...that wasn't there before." Frank's eyes grew large.

Nico turned to see what he was looking at. There was a boat, but unlike the others. Old couldn't really describe it -- it was _ancient._ It seemed to be a smaller version of a pirate ship, with black sails with the classic 1400's build. It was certainly not from this century.

"A pirate ship? Really," Leo wrinkled his nose, "so _cliché._ "

Percy laughed sharpy. "You sound like Piper."

Piper placed her hand over her heart in mock hurt. "For your information--"

"Guys please _focus_ ," Annabeth said while pinching her nose.

"It could be a sign," said Hazel. "From the gods. Maybe we should take it."

"I'd rather have a yacht," Leo complained.

Piper sighed. "He jokes around when he's stressed out. Cue the arm wound."

"Stop telling them my secrets Pipes!"

Jason raised his eyebrows. " _That_ was supposed to be a secret?"

"If we could just _stay_ on topic _one time_!" Reyna seethed. Everyone shrunk away from her, even Nico felt himself stepping backwards. Reyna was scary when she wanted to be. Her eyes could turn livid and her usual gentle features could shift into rage so easily.

The only one who hadn't backed away was Annabeth. That was no surprise, Annabeth and Reyna were virtually the same person. "She's right. You're stalling us, and the sooner we get to safety, the sooner Will and Leo can rest."

Nico glared and Percy, Piper and Jason sharply. He couldn't bring himself to glare to Leo, he looked ready to collapse. Guilt swam in their eyes as they looked at their wounded friends.

They boarded the pirate ship. He never thought he would ever think _that_ , but he's seen and done plenty of stranger things in his life span. Luckily there wasn't any pirates on the ship, in fact, it was completely clean, and there was no signs of life. If that was good or bad, he didn't know. The place almost reeked of a trap. It was too quiet, and it was odd for a ship just to show up out of nowhere, let alone a _pirate ship._ Or maybe if they were lucky, this was a gift from the gods. But when were they ever lucky?

They explored below deck, which contained the captain's quarters, the stores, and the crew's quarters. They stumbled around blind, since the windows offered no light, and all the candles seemed to be burnt out. Percy's sword casted a weak glow, but it was barely enough for them to see a foot infront of them. He held a celestial bronze sword, although it would be difficult to kill anything if he couldn't _see_ it. The only comforting thing was Will beside him.

The odd thing was that almost everything was bare. Pirates were supposed to always have rum laying around (according to Piper.) She was disappointed to find out there wasn't any. When they all gave her incredulous looks, she snorted and said she was joking. To be honest, Nico thought that was a pretty lame joke. But, there were no monsters. Nothing. He really wished they would just show up already, he was getting more anxious by the minute.

"I don't like this," Jason said, voicing his thoughts.

"Me neither," Annabeth hefted her dagger higher in the air, "I can _feel_ their presence. There has to be something here."

"Well, having four extremely powerful demigods in the same room could be effecting your monster sensers," Percy added while grinning stupidly.

"I don't...sense them," Annabeth replied. "I can feel when somethings off."

Nico gripped his sword a little tighter. He could feel it too, like there were eyes watching them.

The air infront of him crackled with electricity. The air seemed to shatter, as it rippled with power. The outline of a figure appeared, growing more and more bright by the second. He managed to shield his eyes away from the harsh light.

A man stepped forward. He had a delicate frame, all small wrists and narrow hips. His slender neck led up to his face, which seemed to blur and shift, his features ever changing. Finally he settled on pale blond hair and startling blue eyes, almost like Will. Little freckles were dotted on his cheeks. His young face was framed by his feather like hair, and sharp cheekbones cast shadows over his face. Nico could already feel himself blushing.

"Hello, demigods."

 **This chapter was so much fun to write. (Minus** **the blood.) I love describing characters, especially when their peculiarly attractive. Most of you probably already guessed who it is, and I'm going to have so much fun these next few chapters (you can decide if that's a good or bad thing.)**


	17. Chapter 17

**CDisthename: Thank you! That scene was a lot if fun to write.**

 **i** **shiptoast: Thank you!**

Chapter 17: Percy

At first, he thought she was Annabeth. She had the same curly blonde hair, the same piercing grey eyes. Then he noticed how her face started to change. Small features shifted, her lips turned from cherry red, to shiny and pink. She looked so much like Annabeth, that he had to check the real Annabeth to see if she was still there. This...women was completely flawless. It was impossible for someone to be that perfect -- impossible for a _human_ to be that perfect. It wasn't just perfection radiating off of her, it was how whenever her eyes rested on him, a shiver ran up his spine. Those eyes...were much too bright. Too divine.

Finally, when he stopped gawking at her face, he realised that she was not in fact a human. A took a second until he registered that it was Aphrodite standing in front of him. Immediately he put his guard up. If he was his twelve-year-old self, then he would have dropped to one knee saying, _'what an honor my lady, oh my gods_ _your Aphrodite pleasedon'tkillme._ ' How times have changed. He didn't _hate_ Aphrodite, but he didn't see how she could possibly be any help, except for warning them about some tragedy coming up in their love life. He would rather not hear anymore stupid prophecies talking about him dieing. Already heard enough of those. She just...wouldn't be his first choice, maybe Poseidon, or Artemis.

As if sensing his thoughts, Aphrodite narrowed her eyes at him. "Ah, the lovely Perseus Jackson. It has been many years since I've seen you alive and well." She smirked, brushing her fingers under his chin.

Annabeth tensed beside him. "What are you doing here, Aphrodite?"

"No greetings?" Aphrodite sighed. "I suppose you would have grown to resent me, after I did not help Perseus when he perished," she said, moving closer to Annabeth and flashing her dazzling white teeth. "Child, you must understand that I cannot tamper with fate. Perseus dieing was inevitable."

Annabeth began to shake beside him, and ground her teeth. "You--" She caught herself, and squeezed her eyes shut. "You didn't answer my question."

"I have not come to ask anything from you, only to help with your journey," she answered.

Silence filled the room.

"You are not very grateful children," she said, acid dripping from her words.

"Oh, we are grateful," Piper spat. "Just not greatful to see _you_."

The small amount of light in the room went out, leaving them in the heavy darkness. He almost felt like he was going to throw up, as he watched Aphrodite grow in height. Her once petite figure was now eight feet tall, and Piper was dwarfed beside her, the goddesses eyes blazed like a hurricane.

"I do not blame you for your anger, child," she spoke with surreal calmness. "But I am not the one who you should be _angry_ at. You blame me for the death of your friend, but even for me, some things are out of my control. So _show_ me some respect, before my patience disappears completely."

The soft glow of riptide returned, to Percy's relief. Aphrodite returned to her normal size, inspecting her freshly manicured nails, as if nothing happened. Piper's skin was a sickly pale colour.

"No." Annabeth fumed. "You _watched_ him die. I begged for your help, and you didn't even say anything! He _died_ in my arms," she cried, voice cracking. "And you acted as if it was a mild inconvenience! So _screw you!_ "

Percy could feel his blood run cold. He... he could remember Annabeth sobbing and holding him as if he was a fragile peice of glass. She pleaded for him to stay awake. He tried, he really did, but he couldn't even move. He was just _so_ cold, and he just...he just wanted the pain to _go away_ , and--

"Do _not_ disrespect me girl." Aphrodite raised her hand, as if she was going to strike Annabeth.

He stepped between them. He could feel his rage transforming his features, he could barely keep himself from yelling at Aphrodite right there. "Don't touch her."

Hazel stepped in, and Percy was grateful she did. Who knows what would have happened is she didn't. "Percy didn't mean to disrespect you, my lady. Surely you can understand how love can make people do foolish things."

Aphrodite ripped her eyes away from Percy. She slowly started to relax, but didn't move her hand. "I of all can understand that. But these actions cannot go unaccounted for. Most demigods would have been smited long ago."

"I apologize on behalf of my friends," Jason said, although he didn't seem to mean to words. "What have you come to help us with, my lady?"

Only then did Aphrodite move away from Percy. "I have come to give you this ship, for your quest. It may not look like much, but I assure you that it is much better then any other ship here. It is similar to the Argoll of Leo Valdez, it is equipped with a cloud of mist so powerful -- that it can mask your scent _almost_ completely."

"Almost?" Reyna echoed.

"Ten demigods grouped together creates an aura of power so strong, that it is near impossible to cover it entirely," Aphrodite said, choosing to ignore the spite in Reyna's words. "There will be occasional battles, but not near as much if you were to take a ship built by mortals. I am afraid to say you would not have made it very far at sea.

"It does not require rowing of any sorts. There is no technology, since Zeus does not believe in the silly things mortals create."

Leo crossed his arms. "I--"

"Thank you, my lady." Hazel smiled. "We truely appreciate it."

Aphrodite nodded, returning Hazel's smile. "I also have come to warn you."

 _Called it,_ he said to himself. Gods and Goddesses always did this -- created prophecies or gave warnings about events in their future. Sometimes it was through a dream, or in person as it was now. It didn't make sense either way. He tried to ignore the prickle of unease that crowded his senses.

After he got back from Tartarus, he had this recurring dream, about him wandering through the woods, entirely alone. The trees were long and grey, while the sun was hidden behind the moon -- a solar eclipse. It gave an eerie feeling to the forest. It was always the same. He would call for Annabeth and his mom, but no one was ever there. There was this crow that would fly around his head, whispering things into his ear, usually about how worthless he was or how he wouldn't survive the war. The most haunting thing about it was that each time the crow spoke, it sounded like Annabeth, his mom, Grover, or someone else he was close to. When he finally gave up and fell to his knees, only then would the dream end.

He tried not to believe it, but deep down he knew that it wasn't just a nightmare. Demigods don't just have nightmares. They have flashbacks and prophetic dreams. It turned out to be true and he did die. That dream mixed with the flashbacks from Tartarus, meant he never got any sleep. Whatever Aphrodite was going to say, he knew he would be losing sleep over it too.

Aphrodite looked at him with pity, making his chest tighten. "Oh child," she breathed. "You have a most treacherous and unpleasant road ahead of you. Do not waste your time, for death's fingertips are itching to get their hands on the soul of Percy Jackson."

He scowled, pressing down his despair. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Aphrodite ignored him, instead turning to Reyna. "And you, young warrior," she murmured. "Your journey does not end well. But do not fret, you shall figure it out, in the end."

Reyna slouched, as if someone just punched her in the gut. She didn't yell or sob, she just...stood there, looking unsurprised.

"What?" Nico snapped. "What...what are you saying? She's not, she _can't_ \--"

"Nico di Angelo. These next few months will not leave you untouched either. The fate of the son of Hades will rest in the hands of the witch."

Will clenched his jaw. "You can't go around spewing all this bull--"

"Will." Reyna glared at him coldly. "It doesn't matter. Thank you, Aphrodite, for that _most_ helpful warning."

Her grey eyes grew mournful. "I did not mean to add any unnecessary stress to the quest. I only hope you understand my warning before it's too late."

With that, she vanished into the air, a small breeze tickling Percy's face.

Silence stained the room. He _wanted_ to say something, like how he thought he would die during the second titan war, but it turns out he didn't. But he also thought he was going to die during the battle of Athens, and he actually did...

"So, uh..." Leo licked his lips. "Do you guys want to help me set up this baby and start sailing?"

"Oh. Y--yeah, we're already on a tight schedule," Annabeth stuttered.

"No way," Piper said. "We need to stitch up that arm first."

Leo sighed. "More pain? Horray."

"Hey! What did I say about being happy? If we're ever going to get anything done, then we can't mope around because of some warning that could have a thousand meanings," Piper insisted.

Reyna pursed her lips. "It was pretty straightforward for me."

Percy frowned. "Don't say that. Aphrodite could be messing with us -- like some cruel game. This could mean nothing...and even if it doesn't, I'm _not_ letting you go anywhere."

Reyna smiled, the first real smile he's seen on her in awhile. "Thanks Jackson."

"Hey," he said while clasping Reyna's shoulder. "That's what friends are for, right? Come help me get ready to sail."

xx

He sat at the edge of his hammock, gazing at his hands.

He had just woken up from a nightmare, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't bring himself to close his eyes. He felt like something bad was going to happen, so he just sat there. Annabeth was curled up inside the hammock, thankfully she hadn't woken up when he had his nightmare. He didn't want to wake her up -- so he just got to his feet and went above deck.

His eyes were blown wide. His muscles cried for rest, but he was much too restless to sleep. Perhaps the ocean would calm him down. The gentle lull of the waves, and the salty seaweed air was all he needed to sleep. However, that was _before_ his nightmares. When he used to camp at Montauk with his mom, he could literally fall asleep on the beach...now not so much. He doubted he would get any sleep unless he was passed out cold. It could help him think though. Everything was easier to do by the ocean, even breathing was easier. He couldn't think in that dark cramped space. But the ocean was wide and vast, and his mind felt the same, he wasn't forced to remember his nightmare or anything he would rather forget. He was free.

He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. It was a good idea coming up here, a soft smile tugged at his lips. He was almost tempted to go for a swim. Although he didn't want to get eaten by a sea monster or plowed over by the ship. So he climbed over to the railing, he sat with his legs dangling into the cool night air. He rested his chin on his crossed arms.

He raised his hands, to inspect his self-inflicted injuries. There was dents in his hand from his nails. The skin was pink with irritation, some of the dents began to scab over, and dried blood coated his palms. He didn't...he didn't mean to do this to himself. Sometimes it was like he wasn't even in control of his body, especially when he was angry. The sharp pain was meant to keep his anger in check, but as his hands began to sting in the frigid air, he regretted doing so. It wasn't normal...yet he didn't know any other way.

He curled his hands around his elbows, almost like he was giving himself a hug. His hair was blown around violently and he began to shiver.

What Aphrodite said...he wondered what _the hell_ it meant. _'Death itches to get his hands on the soul of Percy Jackson.'_ Why does death want him? To be honest, he thought Hades, Thanatos or _whoever_ it was hated him, most higher beings did. Did he anger death in some way? He couldn't really keep track of everyone he offended. It made his stomach roll. He would rather not die again, it wasn't fun.

"Happy thoughts," he told himself.

Easier said then done. He tried to cling to good memories, like how he actually had a _sister._ A sweet, little sister that was so much like his mom it was heartbreaking. And there was Tyson. Tyson was the closest he's ever gotten to a sibling, until yesterday, and he wanted to give the big guy a hug. He wondered if Tyson knew that he was back again. His dad, somebody would have told him...right? Poseidon wasn't necessarily a good dad, or an overall good being, but he wasn't cruel. Unless Zeus was stopping him, he would have told Tyson. He missed his siblings. He missed his _family._

He angrily blinked away tears. He was acting like a child right now, he couldn't get homesick. Annabeth needed him, his _friends_ needed him. Yet all he could think about was those blissful moments where his mom held him, and her blue pancakes, and playing with Estelle...

He sighed and hid his face in his arms. _Don't cry,_ he thought. He was seventeen, it was stupid to cry.

Yet hot tears started to slide down his cheeks, and he felt himself begin to shake. They were angry tears. Horrible, ugly aggravating tears that seemed to increase as he dug his nails into his palms.

He rubbed the nape of his neck, and kicked his legs aimlessly. The gestures didn't sooth him, but they did work to distract him. He felt so pathetic. Crying because he was homesick. His friends never cried about this type of stuff, they got through it on their own.

"Percy?"

He wiped at his face hurriedly. He whirled around, to see Leo standing there, eyes wide.

Percy's cheeks flushed. "Oh. I was just--"

Leo made his way over, and sat down beside him. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about," he said simply.

He sniffed. "Wh...what?" He was considering jumping into the water, to get away from this awkward situation.

"Crying. It's not something to be embarrassed about. You have every right to be sad after everything that happened today."

Percy wasn't expecting that. He stayed silent, studying the dark water ahead of him.

"You'll see them again, you know," Leo said softly. "Your mom. Estelle."

"You think so?"

"I swear it on the river Styx."

Percy's eyes grew large. "Leo..."

"Don't worry about it _ese_." Leo laughed nervously. "This whole situation is too familiar."

Percy glared at him. "Why did you do that? If...if I don't make it back--"

Leo's eyes grew hard with seriousness. "You _will_ make it back."

"You heard what Aphrodite said. There's a good chance I might die on this quest. It won't matter if you promise anything, you can't control my fate, Leo."

"Who says that's your fate?"

"Aphrodite."

"She actually said that death _wants_ your soul, which, by the way, is very creepy," Leo pointed out. "Not that that death is going to _get_ your soul."

When Percy didn't reply, he sighed. "Look, Percy," he said. "I know it's hard for you right now. But some things you shouldn't waste your time worrying over." Leo patted his shoulder, and stood up. "You should get some sleep, aqua man."

He managed a lopsided grin. "Yeah. Thanks, Leo."

"No problem dude." He waved, and stumbled back downstairs to the crew's quarters.

He still wasn't 100%, but he felt better then before. It was weird seeing Leo serious. Leo was always an easygoing hyper person, spending most of his time around machines, and before Calypso, flirting. The son of Hephaestus had more layers then meets the eye.

His eyelids grew heavy, and before he knew it, he was falling into a dream.

xx

 _He stood on a rundown pathway, which cut through the dull forest. Leafless trees towered over him. Everything seemed washed out, almost as if he was in a black and white movie. He felt odd. When he stepped forward, his limbs were heavy and hard to move. When he looked forward, he couldn't turn his head to the side, he could only look infront of him. It felt like night, but at the same time...it didn't. He glanced up, and saw the moon covering the sun, completely soaking up all light in the forest. A solar eclipse._

 _He continued forward, ignoring the overwhelming feeling of nostalgia. Where was he?_ _"Mom? Annabeth?!" He felt his breathing quicken, and he started to jog. "Annabeth! Hello?"_

 _The trees appeared to be leaning towards him, blocking the sky. He was close to panicking. "Mom! ANNABETH!"_ _he_ _screamed_.

 _He stopped dead in his tracks. It was above him, sitting on a branch, fixing it's beady black eyes on him._

 _Then the crow spoke._

 **Poor Percy, he goes through so much. I wish we had more Percy and Leo bonding scenes in the books, so I added that into this chapter. I have a feeling they would be really good friends with all that sarcasm and sass. Not much action in this chapter, but don't worry, there will be lots coming up. (Fun for us, not so fun for the characters.)**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Leo

Leo trudged below deck, blinking away the sleep in his eyes. He'd tried to rest, but his eyes refused to close, and he couldn't get comfortable on his stupid arm. He was always a side sleeper, so naturally he tried to sleep on his injured arm and immediately regretted it. It was like he was getting stabbed with pins and needles. After that, he sat on his back and stared at the ceiling. It was impossible for him to sit still for so long. He was always bouncing around or buliding something -- he needed to be occupied. His restless ADHD brain couldn't take all this boredom. So he decided to take a stroll around the ship, and he found something that shocked him.

Percy was sitting with his long legs dangling over the water, with his head buried in his arms. At first Leo thought he was just sleeping, until he heard the barely audible sobs and saw Percy's figure tremble. The whole situation screamed awkward...but something made him shout Percy's name. He knew if someone saw him crying, it would wound his pride severely. But whenever he was at his lowest he almost wished for someone to realise and comfort him. It was the least he could do for Percy. Him and Percy bonded over jokes and sarcastic comments -- rarely any personal stuff. Maybe he wasn't the best person to do the job, however, he could put himself in Percy's shoes. It hurt a lot more crying alone, then with a friend.

It hurt to see Percy like that. Sure, when he first met him, he despised the guy. He was too close to the stereotypical macho man that was in every action movie, and the type of guy who 'always had to do the right thing,' but didn't know what feelings were. He managed to like Jason, but Percy? That was a little more difficult. And seeing Percy and Annabeth together made him...kind of jealous. Everyone on the _Argoll_ was jealous of them, to be honest. It was hard not to be when they were so annoyingly perfect, and it didn't help that he was the only single demigod out of the seven.

Percy appeared as the type of person he hated.

He was a good guy -- no doubt. He fatal flaw was loyalty for pete's sake, he just felt so small in his shadow. Once he got to know Percy more though, he realised they had way more in common then he realised. A stupid sense of humor, a knack for making bad desisions, maybe even a little of self-doubt. Percy was much more complex then he originally thought.

Tolerating him turned to becoming friends. Seeing such a strong person break down -- a person who literally walked through hell start to cry...well it was devastating. If Percy broke down, then, what was holding the rest of them together?

He silently cursed himself for doing a crappy job of comforting. He sounded like a worried mom, and topped it off with a promise that would only worry Percy more. He doubted he helped him, he never was really good with words. Everything sounded better inside his head, and when he went to go say something, it came off uncaring and humorous. He managed to stay serious when he was talking to Percy, but his words sounded devoided of meaning.

He shook his head -- there was no use thinking about it. He wasn't going to sleep, so he could either go above deck again, or start a new project. Percy probably didn't want any company, so he chose the latter. This ship could use some serious work, there was basically no weapons -- which meant they had to way to defend themselves except for their own swords.

The _Argoll_ was so much better. It was a full out war machine, with sick crossbows, oars that could change into spears, and not to mention Festus that could breathe fire like a badass. This ship was completely wooden, sadly the hull wasn't bronze and the ship couldn't fly. As far as he knew, it was being controlled by magic, or by his mind, he didn't really know. He set a course well above the sea of monsters, into colder waters in hope of there being less monsters. At least there was no rowing. But there was no controls. No cabins. No cool magic features, like the astrolobe on the _Argoll_. As far as he was concerned, this ship was a piece of crap. But it didn't have to _stay_ that way.

He kinda wished he could recreate Festus. He knew it was a project that could take months, maybe even years. Right now, he had to focus on weaponry and defense, something they were in bad need of.

Celestial bronze shields around the side of the ship would be a good start. Maybe... instead of crossbows, they could use cannons? He thought about it for a second, tapping his chin. No, there was too many monsters who prefered aerial attacks. Cannons would offer no air support, and they could only be used when they were being attacked by a sea monster or another ship. Crossbows it is.

A flying ship was definitely out of question. He wondered if the gods added on any magical features, but he seriously doubted that. The gods weren't really the generous type. At least they had protection. Well, sort of protection, their scent wasn't hidden entirely. He snickered when he thought about demigods having a scent. All he could think about was body odor. And he was pissed about no technology on the ship. Machines were his specialty, not magic! Magic was too hard to understand. Machines always worked a certain way, and he could follow how to make one with ease. It was always the same rules. But with magic, it was utterly unpredictable. They were the same in some ways, but so much different in others.

While he was walking towards the captain's quarters, a huge _BANG_ lurched the ship sideways.

He was thrown off his feet, and he crashed into the far wall. Agony shot up his spine and into the back of his skull, and he cried out when the ship rocked to the other side, making him fall on his bad arm. He moved onto his back, trying to regain his bearings. He opened his eyes, and was greeted by darkness.

He blinked rapidly. Nothing. No light seeped through the heavy blanket of blackness. He couldn't see...anything. Oh gods. He wasn't...he couldn't be blind, could he? No, that was a stupid thought. He couldn't be blind, all the candles must have burnt out, and since that was the ships only source of light, it made sense. Still, it was nerve-racking to be shrouded in complete darkness.

Something kicked him in the ribs, and a suffocating weight slammed against his stomach. He wiggled around, trying desperately to free himself.

"Ow. What?" said a muffled voice.

Something prodded at his face, and poked him in the eye.

He slapped the hand away. "What the hell? Get off!"

Someone gasped and and climbed off of him. "Leo? Sorry, didn't see you there." The voice was definitely Jason's.

He coughed and spluttered on the floor. "You...idiot. You've...crushed me," he said inbetween breaths.

"I can't see a thing. You're lucky I didn't stab you with my sword!" Jason chuckled.

"It ain't funny," he grumbled, getting to his feet. An overwhelming sense of nausea made him double over. He hissed when a sharp pain shot through his head.

"Are you okay? Leo?"

"Fine. I hit my head," he replied. "It must have been something underwater to cause the ship to be thrown around like that. Are the others awake yet?" He rubbed his temple tenderly.

Jason placed a hand on his shoulder, making him jump. "Are you sure your okay buddy? You could have a concussion."

Leo rolled his eyes. "I said I'm fine. We have to go help the others."

"Yeah, I--"

 _BANG_

Him and Jason were thrown around like ragdolls. Leo fell onto his back, while Jason shouted in surprise as he face-planted into the wall. He layed on his back too stunned to move -- the loud sound was making his ears ring.

Jason grabbed his hand, and pulled him up roughly. He still had enough sense to get up, but he had a hard time collecting himself. They dashed up the stairs, and to his relief, he could finally see. Glittering stars and a silver full moon washed the deck in soft light, illuminating it just enough so he could see. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

The calm state didn't last long.

Before he could collect his thoughts, he glimpsed something swim in the water below him. In a flash, it was gone.

Jason gripped his sword tighter. "What was that?"

"Nothing good," he muttered.

Just then, the rest of his friends charged onto the deck, with a crazy light in their eyes and weapons held high. They stopped suddenly, looking around with confused expressions.

Annabeth scanned them, her eyes resting on his head, before looking around for someone else. "Where's Percy?"

Leo paled. He had completely forgotten that Percy was above deck when he left him. If he wasn't with the others, and he wasn't here either...

"He's not with you guys?" Jason asked.

Annabeth started to pace, and pinched her nose. "No. No, he wasn't," she snapped. " _Percy!_ "

No reply.

Leo rushed to the railing, peering over the edge. A sense a forbidding made him cautious when he looked over the water. He felt like whatever was down there was going to reach up and snap his head off. If Percy fell into the water, he should have been fine. But he would be all alone down there without any weapons, and a sea monster was currently circling the ship.

He waited. Shouldn't Percy have come up by now? Something was definitely wrong. The water lapped calmly against the boat, not a disturbance for miles. That just made him more worried.

"Percy!" shouted Frank. Frank's normally calm demeanour was looking terrified. His eyes hardened, and Leo knew that look. He's made a decision. "I'm doing down there," he announced.

"Frank," Hazel said with wide eyes. "Don't."

Before any of them could argue, Frank was already leaping off the starboard. Hazel yelled his name desperately, but there was no reply. If course there wasn't, Frank had probably turned into some marine animal, and was diving into the depths as they spoke. Despite that, Leo couldn't wait. He had to do something -- _anything_. He needed to help his friends, and he would be no help sitting around waiting.

He turned towards Annabeth, waiting to hear what she was going to say.

Her expression was pained. "We won't be any help if we try to dive down after them. Percy and Frank can breathe underwater -- we can't."

Jason nodded. "Whatever is down there is huge. We have to get ready to help Frank and Percy, and be ready for a fight."

"Everyone go get armor. We need more weapons, and shields. Get anything you can get ahold of -- greek fire, nectar, ambrosia...actually, just grab everything," Reyna ordered.

Leo moved to run back downstairs, when another sickening _bang_ threw all of them off their feet.

There was no time.

Leo readied his hammer, and took out his ten inch celestial bronze blade. His heart was thumping crazy fast. It would be fine, him and his friends have taken on creatures much worse, yet he felt too shaky to be wielding a huge knife like he was. Adrenaline was pumped through his veins, and he waited. There was no sound. He strained his ears to hear anything, but he could only hear the ocean churning steadily.

Faster then lightning, the monster's head surfaced. The ocean sprayed around it, drenching all of them in the frigid water. He couldn't help but gawk at it.

It wasn't huge -- it was _enormous._ It reminded him of a dragon in so many ways, but it's body was just like a snake's. It's shiny green scales glinted in the moonlight. The thick neck led up to a ugly and terrifying head. When it snarled at them, Leo felt like he was going to faint. The teeth were a meter long and as sharp as razor blades, with much smaller but equally sharp teeth in the back. It had a snake tongue, and it's breath was like a mixture of rotting corpses and fish. Two horns protruded from the back of it's head, and fins ran from it's head to all along it's back. It's eyes were the worst of all. Inky black eyes with yellow orbs in the middle gazed at him with hunger, his haunting reflexion staring back at him.

"Holy shit," Piper gasped.

"Hey ugly!" he shouted, his voice sounding a lot higher then normal.

The monster turned it's unsettling eyes towards him. He felt his stomach churn, but he gulped down his nervousness and continued taunting it. "Come and get me, you overgrown lizard!"

The insult sounded pathetic rolling off his tongue, but it seemed to have worked. He had to lure it away from the water, and towards the ship. None of them could fight in the water like Percy, so fighting it on solid ground was their best option.

It lunged, and he could barely roll out of the way in time. This thing was _fast_. He could feel it's warm breath against his side, and a tooth graze him. It retracted it's head, and got ready to lunge -- this time Leo knew it wouldn't miss.

"Over here!" Annabeth cupped her hands around her mouth.

It's head snapped towards Annabeth, aiming for her head. It snapped it's jaws, only just brushing her curly hair. She took her chance and tried to drive her sword into the monsters throat, but it was quicker. It was out of the way she could even cut it.

Then they were all charging. Jason and Reyna worked as a team, stabbing and slicing at the sea monster's scales, trying to find a chink in it's thick armor. Their swords clanked against it, but it didn't do any real damage.

Piper was going for a more dangerous approach. She was right infront of it, swiping at it's eyes. She screamed at it, saying things in charmspeak. While it was distracted, she sliced it's throat.

Blood poured from the wound, but the cut wasn't deep enough to be fatal. It howled and before Leo could yell a warning, it was knocking Piper over the edge, and into the freezing waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

"No! _Piper!_ " Jason wailed. His face was twisted with agony as he heard her guttural scream. He tried rushing to the edge, but the monster blocked his way.

Leo froze. _Piper._ Oh gods. A cold rage clutched his heart, and he ran at the monster without thinking. No one hurt his friends -- especially Piper

But Piper was more then just a friend. She was his family -- his _sister._ Their bond was unbreakable.

He didn't make a plan, all he was thinking about was how he was going to make it _pay._ He would kill it. He would kill it slowly and painfully.

He didn't think it through. His sword didn't even make a mark as he was suddenly lifted into the air. His body swung around aimlessly in the monster's jaws. The voices of his friends sounded so far away now.

Then he was flying sideways, with the wind whistling in his ears and the ocean below him getting closer as he fell.

He paniced when he water zoomed at him a hundred miles an hour. He was sure he was screaming, but he couldn't be sure over the deafening sound of the wind rushing around him.

He didn't know what to do.

And then he crashed into the water with a force that knocked every ounce of air out of him. A flurry of bubbles crowded around him, making it impossible to see. His body sunk through the waves, completely useless. He managed to keep his eyes open for a second, hoping that this wasn't the end, before he passed out in the icy black waters.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Annabeth

She was Annabeth Chase. Daughter of Athena. Architect of Olympus. She was a demigod, divine blood ran through her veins. She was wise and always had a plan.

Yet she'd never felt so useless.

Athena -- the goddess of wisdom, battle strategy, arts, and reason -- was her mother. Her friends _counted_ on her to be their leader, but all she could do was watch as Piper and Leo were thrown through the air.

Possibilities and ideas ran through her head a mile a minute. This monster -- whatever it was -- was bigger and stronger then what she was used to fighting. And it had a huge advantage being in the water, since their son of Poisidon was currently absent, they were losing badly.

She studied her friend's faces.

Jason looked utterly torn. He stood with his sword raised, but he didn't make any advance on the sea monster. His head swiveled towards where Piper had disappeared into the water, and back to where Leo was thrown. His eyes were wild and horrified, and his mouth was twisted with something awful. _He was trying to decide which one to save._

She'd never seen him like that. Jason always seemed the most stable out of all of them. Now, his fiery confidence had evaporated into panic.

Reyna cried and charged. Reyna was always brave and perhaps a little impulsive. But she was _not_ stupid. Anger was blinding her.

Will and Nico hung back -- unsure of what to do. Will was in no condition to fight -- his skin had lost it's healthy flush, and big bags drooped underneath his sunken eyes. He couldn't use his sword arm anyways, due to his burns. Nico was yelling at him -- Annabeth had a feeling as to why.

Hazel swatted at the creature's eyes. Her and Reyna fought back to back, but Annabeth knew it wouldn't hold it off for long.

 _"Annabeth!"_

A hoarse cry shocked her out of her reverie. Hazel was suddenly infront of her, shaking her shoulders harshly. Pleading eyes met her own grey ones.

Annabeth sometimes forgot Hazel was the youngest out of the seven. She was only _thirteen._ Fear had her pupils blown wide. The rich golden irises -- which were always warm and fiercly loving -- now were filled with dread. The grip on her shoulders was unnervingly tight for someone so small.

"Annabeth!" she cried, "what should we do?"

 _What should we do?_ _What was the plan?_

She didn't know.

"I-I..." She bit her lip in frustration. She didn't _know._ It was like this wall was placed in her brain, blocking everything that she desperately needed right now.

She looked at Hazel -- _really_ looked at her. The person standing infront of her wasn't some warrior, she was a child -- a child with emotions and she was _scared._ Demigod or not, Hazel wasn't built to fight for her life every second of the day.

It was suddenly clear how unfair this was.

But that was a problem for another day. Right now, Annabeth had to be a leader.

"Okay... _okay,_ " she said. Slowly her confidence retured, and the wall was broken down. "There's a cut on it's throat. Distract it, and we'll have the chance to finish it off."

"Annabeth." Jason swallowed. "Piper, and Leo--"

"We can't go down there with that _thing,"_ she replied. "It's too dangerous, as long as we distract it I'm sure they'll be fine." To her, it didn't sound very reassuring. There was no disturbance in the water, no sign of life. Piper and Leo couldn't breathe underwater.

They had to kill it first. She couldn't worry about that, because there was nothing she could do.

She turned her attention to the monster. It's eyes fixed on her, bloodthirsty and enraged. Her eyes scanned over it's body. No legs. It's tail appeared to go on forever, but it seemed harmless unless it decided to strangle her. What she had to worry about was the head -- those serrated teeth could turn her into a shish kabob.

Then, her friends were bolting across the deck, effectively spliting up and confusing it. The monster was surrounded.

Annabeth tightened her hand around her dagger. Her hand fit into it almost perfectly, the grooves on the hilt offering a comforting pressure to her palm. It was so much like her old dagger that it made her heart ache. When she had lost it in Tartarus, she felt like her last tie she had with Luke was severed. That Luke was _gone._ Now, she could nearly imagine herself holding it again.

With her knees bent, she moved silently with many years of practice. She zeroed in on the cut on it's throat -- dark blood oozing and dripping onto the deck.

 _Just a little closer._

She was so close to the ground, she was nearly crawling. Her heart jackhammered in her chest. She was almost positive it would see her -- her stomach lurching everytime it's gaze passed over her -- but it did not notice.

It had Nico cornered against the railing. Will was yelling and slicing at it's scales, but it's attention was all on the demigod infront of it.

She sprinted towards it with everything she had. Her legs hit the deck hard, her light--footedness ignored in her panic. _Oh gods._ She was still too far...

 _Please let me make it in time. Please._

Nico's back was pressed against the railing. His sword had been knocked into the water. His eyes were alight with horror as the monster loomed towards him. It's breath blew into Nico's face, pushing his hair back.

Annabeth was distantly aware of her friends screaming. Screaming to get it's attention, screaming because they were afraid. She wasn't going to make it. She wasn't fast enough. The creature made a sound low in it's throat, and Annabeth was horrified to discover that it was _laughing._

It opened it's mouth, teeth glittering...

And she was leaping -- cutting threw the air like a knife. Wind whistled, and the night air made her eyes burn. All she could think about was how close the monster was to Nico.

It turned, only to be met by her dagger.

She swung her arm, and her dagger cut through it's neck. It sliced through it easily, like it wasn't a neck she was severing, and instead something soft -- like butter. She dropped down, with one hand planted firmly on the deck. A guttural howl made the hair on the back of her neck shoot up, then it vaporized into yellow dust.

"Holy shit!" Will snapped. "You--you _idiot!_ "

Nico shook his head. He was pretty shaken up. He was pale, his eyes were double their normal size, and small tremors wracked his small frame.

Will enveloped him in hug. "Dumbass. Could...could have gotten yourself killed."

Jason was rushing to the side of the boat. "Piper? _Piper!"_

When he got no response, he plunged into the ocean.

Annabeth sprinted to the starboard, where Leo was thrown off. She was a fairly strong swimmer, and the ocean was peaceful today. She climbed on top of the railing, and dived.

The first thing that shocked her was the freezing water. It zapped the energy from her, and chilled her to the bones. There was no words to describe it, just that it _hurt._ The force of the water was a lot greater then she originally theorized. It shoved her back into the boat, the mere pressure squeezing the air from her lungs.

She extended her hand, desperately trying to reach the air. The curtent pinned her to the side of the ship -- she was lucky she didn't get stuck under it. She kicked the side of the ship -- using the momentum to propel herself towards the surface easily. She gasped and spluttered, heaving oxygen into her empty lungs.

"She's okay!" Someone shouted.

Annabeth turned her head towards the sound, to find Hazel leaning over the edge and waving at her.

"Stay _there!"_ Annabeth yelled, pushing her hair out of her eyes.

She dived back under the surface. She tried to ignore the frigid temperature, and focused on finding Leo.

How many minutes has it been? What if Leo was _dead?_ No. He couldn't be. He was most likely unconscious, and they would have to do CPR to revive him, since Percy wasn't around--

Oh gods. _Percy._

Him and Frank had been gone that whole time. Percy was more then capable of surviving underwater for long periods of time, yet she could _feel_ like something was wrong. Her stomach dropped as she thought of the possibilities.

Medea. She could have taken them, or something else. Percy has enough enemies in the Greek world as it is.

She surfaced for another gulp of air, before she continued searching. The moon offered little to no light underwater, so she could barely see five feet infront of her. If that wasn't enough, the water was murky, and was filled with seaweed and rubbish. It was nearly impossible to swim in...let alone _see_ in.

She tried to remember how far into the water Leo had landed. She saw him crash into the water, so it wasn't too far. The nagging feeling that the search was fruitless frustrated her. She kept seeing clumps of seaweed or trash and thinking it was him. Anger bubbled up inside of her as more seconds passed by. Leo didn't have anymore _time._

She was a failure. Her friends were relying on her to bring him back. If she couldn't even do that, then was she really cut out to be a leader?

She pushed herself through the water quicker. _Please._ _Come on, Leo..._

She saw him. A first she could just make out a sillhouette, barely visable in the inky ocean. It drifted through the currents -- completely motionless. She squinted, and distinguished the rest of the figure. Leo's arms and legs were closer to the surface, with his neck curved towards his chest. He sunk like a stone.

Disregarding the need for air, she cut through the water with a new hope. Adrenaline fueled her as she pushed herself deeper. The increased water pressure made it difficult to keep the little air she had left in her lungs.

 _Come on, come on..._

Her head began to ache from oxygen deprivation. She was _so damn close._

She shook his body, hoping to wake him up. He didn't even move. His mouth was parted, which meant there was already water in his lungs. His eyes were closed, and his curly locks floated around his still body. He looked so peaceful, like he was sleeping. Only he wasn't, Leo was dieing. And he would be dead if Annabeth didn't get him breathing.

Her chest was _burning._ She would pass out if she didn't reach the surface soon. She hooked an arm around Leo's shoulders, and began to swim to the surface. The extra weight made her slower, but Leo wasn't all that heavy.

She finally emerged. Stale air was expelled from her lungs, and for a few scary moments, she couldn't breathe. When she calmed herself down, she was able to inhale the precious oxygen. She almost wanted to cry as the cool night air eased her aching chest. Leo's limp weight in her arms didn't even react. Annabeth turned towards him, and stifled a gasp.

 _Peaceful_ wasn't how he appeared now. His hair was plastered to his forehead, revealing his pointed ears. His head lolled against his chest. Most worrisome of all, his lips were a dark blue, and his skin looked almost transparent -- a horrible pale colour. Veins were visable behind each eyelid.

He looked like a corpse.

It reminded her of her time in Tartarus. When her and Percy had plunged into the river Cocytus, she had to keep Percy from sinking, like what she was doing right now.

She slung his arm over her shoulder, and began to swim.

It got increasingly more difficult, since she was carrying Leo, and trying to remain upright at the same time. Shouts were coming from the ship, but she didn't bother trying to check who it was. Her teeth chattered and her muscles were throbbing. The air seemed even colder than the water. She wanted to just rest, even for a second, but she wouldn't dare with Leo -- who was still unconscious. Everything felt numb. It was a miracle that she was even still moving, with her body screaming at her to just _stop._

Her foot thudded against the ship. She blinked away the water that was dripping from her eyelashes, and looked up.

Jason was lowering a ladder with shaking hands, while the rest of them peered over the side. When they spotted Leo, their expressions twisted painfully.

Annabeth latched onto the ladder. She realised she couldn't climb with Leo in her arms, she just didn't have that much strength. But Jason was already climbing down, and he held out a hand.

"Pass him up," he said, his voice cracking.

Annabeth lifted him as much as she could. Her arms shook alarmingly, and she grunted as her body ached. Thankfully, Jason took him only a second later. Suddenly she could _breathe._ She let her arms drop into the water like dead weight.

"Annabeth? Are you okay?" Jason's face was pinched with worry.

"I...yeah. Just tired."

"Here." Jason extended a hand, his big eyes still concerned.

Annabeth could have laughed at how much he looked like a puppy, but now wasn't the time. She didn't even know if Leo was alive.

She climbed up the ladder, and stumbled onto the deck.

Leo layed unmoving. He looked even worse then before. Will hovered over him, checking his vitals.

"Shit. Shit, shit, shit," Will muttered.

"What? I-Is he okay? Will?" Piper looked ready to throw up. She was shivering violently and her lips were a matching blue to Leo's.

Will began preforming chest compressions, he looked terrified. "He...he has no heartbeat."

Annabeth took a step backwards. No. This couldn't be happening. Leo couldn't be dead. _No._

She took in Leo's appearance.

Leo Valdez.

An engineer.

A friend.

A son of Hephaestus.

A hero.

Leo _would not_ die today.

She put away her dispair and panic, and ran through her options. Chest compressions were a good way to restore blood flow to the brain. It mimics the heartbeat, but it wouldn't restore proper function to the heart.

Okay. Okay. She could do this.

What else could they do? They didn't have any of the necessary equipment here, like they would at a hospital. The best they had was ambrosia and nectar, but those could only be used with physical wounds. If only they had a defibrillator.

A _defibrillator._

It is used when the heart stops. It applies an electric current to the heart, effectively shocking the heart so it resumes it's normal rhythum. It all made sense now. They didn't have a defibrillator on hand, but they had _Jason._

She couldn't control the wide smile that appeared on her face. "Jason! Electrocute him!"

Jason stared at her as if she had gone mad. " _What_?!"

Annabeth realised she probably looked nuts -- smiling. But she couldn't help it.

"Annabeth, you're a genius!" Will cried.

"Can _someone_ please explain!" Jason looked between the two of them with wide eyes.

"An electric shock can restart his heart. Jason, you have control over lightning!" Annabeth's heart was beating rapidly -- either from excitement or desperation.

He ran a hand through his hair. "No. No way! Lightning kills people!"

Will shook his head. "We don't mean for you summon lightning. Just shock him."

Jason still looked unsure. "I could kill him."

Piper grimaced. "He's _already_ dead! If you don't do something, he's going to stay that way!"

Nico frowned. "His soul...it's like he's in-between life and death. It won't stay that way for long."

Jason had a pained expression across his face. He kneeled down on Leo's other side, holding his hands out. "What...what do I have to do?"

Will tore away Leo's shirt. "Place your hands on his chest. Use enough electricity so his back arches, but only hold it for a few seconds. Keep doing it until he wakes up."

"Sounds easy enough," Jason mumbled. His hands started to tremble, and beads of sweat ran down his temple. Annabeth had never seen him look so nervous.

Electricity crackled through the air, making her hair stand up. Jason's hands began to glow as sparks flew off of them.

He placed his hands onto Leo's chest. Annabeth's breath hitched when Leo spasmed and lurched into the air, the whites of his eyes visable. He shook like that for a few seconds, before Jason took his hands away.

"Oh gods. I can't. I can't do _this_!"

Piper placed a tender hand onto the small of Jason's back. "I know you can."

Maybe she had used charmspeak, or it was Piper's words alone, but Jason's breathing evened out and he nodded. He brought his hands back to Leo's chest, and shocked him. The same thing happened as last time, but Jason left his hands on for longer. Sparks flew everywhere. Leo was still unresponsive.

And then, a gasp.

It was small, barely audible, but they all heard it. Jason immediately stopped, and they all peered down at Leo.

His eyes flew open, he started gasping and choking. He threw up water, before collapsing on his back and closing his eyes.

Piper gripped his shoulder. "Leo? Leo, can you hear me?" Her words were gentle and soft.

Leo cracked his eyes open, muttered, "mcshizzle," and passed out.

Then Hazel began laughing. Not just a giggle, a deep bellied laugh, snorting and all. She slapped her hand against her thigh. "Sorry. It's...just...out of all the things he could have _said_!" She quieted down once she realised everyone was giving her ludicrous looks.

Annabeth tried to hold back a smile, but it was almost impossible with seeing Hazel laugh like that. She glanced over to Will, who checked Leo's vitals and gave a thumbs up.

Jason on the other hand, looked horrified. "I burned him."

Annabeth peeked over Jason's shoulder, and saw two burns roughly the size of a handprint on Leo's chest. They were flakey and red. The skin there was shiny from the white blood cells. The burns weren't too bad, but noticeable enough.

"Jason. It wasn't your fault. You _saved_ him," Piper said with a smile.

He nodded halfheartedly, and studied his hands.

"Jason, help me get Leo below deck. Annabeth, Piper, you come too," Will ordered.

Annabeth scowled. "But Percy--"

"You won't be able to help him if you have hypothermia. As soon as you're dried off and warm, you can search for him and Frank."

She knew if she didn't listen to Will, he would wrestle her down the stairs. Plus Will was insistent and stubborn, so refusing his orders would just be a waste of time. And he was right. But she didn't want to stop looking. Percy could be captured -- or worse. She felt like she was abandoning him.

Piper moved Annabeth's hair behind her shoulders. "Come on. Thirty minutes at most, and the others will be looking for him in the meantime."

One part of her -- that lovesick part -- wanted to run and jump back into the ocean and find him. He _was_ out there, she knew it. The other part -- that was the strategic and leader part -- agreed with Piper. Maybe she would regret that decision later.

Which one should she listen to? Knowledge or love?

She just hoped, wherever Percy was, he would hold on a little bit longer.

 **Sorry if the scene where Leo's heart stops isn't accurate, I was kinda going on internet research and logic. Oh well. Please review!**


End file.
